


Black Seas

by tyomawrites



Category: Black Sails
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual SilverFlintHamilton, Gen, M/M, MerShark Ned Low
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-10-30 09:52:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 39,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17826479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tyomawrites/pseuds/tyomawrites
Summary: For as long as he'd remembered, he's had a song in his mind and words scrawled over his heart, but no one in Nassau says his words, and the song in his mind grows louder when they're at sea.There's always been tales of pirates being lured to their deaths, by sirens and mermaids and creatures of the deep. They’ve been told since he’d been brought onto the Walrus, and he’s heard them all the same, they all end in the same result. They’re told alongside stories of men and women who fall in love because of words that are tattooed onto their skin at birth.To Billy, all tales come with a grain of truth.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [OnlyOneWoman](https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnlyOneWoman/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Unhinged](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8068621) by [OnlyOneWoman](https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnlyOneWoman/pseuds/OnlyOneWoman). 



There’ve always been tales of pirates being lured to their deaths, by sirens and mermaids and creatures of the deep. They’ve been told since he’d been brought onto the Walrus, and he’s heard them all the same, they all end in the same result. They’re told alongside stories of men and women who fall in love because of words that are tattooed onto their skin at birth. 

Billy Bones has always had the words scrawled upon his heart, a cursive script that looks womanly and neat, but has a wildness to it, a flourish.  _ Come down and swim with me _ . The words have been etched in his memories till the end of time. He feels as though he might be cursed, he has no interest in women, so if his soulmate is a woman, he is sorry for them. Billy has always heard singing in his mind, in a world where mythical creatures, magic, and soulmates were a possibility, he’s entirely sure it’s just one way that fate is drawing him towards his destiny.

It happens when they’re out at sea, they are at least a few weeks from any form of land. A tempest had thrown them off course and he’d done his very best along with the rest of the crew and Flint to not be thrown overboard. They were lucky though, they lost none of their fresh water, and still had half their food stores to access, it was more than God should have granted them but he’s thankful nonetheless.

Night has fallen over them, and Billy is on third watch. He’s sat among the ropes of the rigging, a place he’s taken to keeping watch from at night. It lets him look over the entirety of the ship without have to climb the mast, something he’d rather not repeat. Falling from that height once was enough, he’d barely been able to move for a month and a half.

It’s just past midnight when the song in his mind grows louder. It is not painfully so, but it’s enough that for once, Billy can hear with clarity the words that are being sung to him. The rest of the ship is quiet, appreciatively so. He’s head the song in his mind long enough to know the melody, and as the words are made known to him, he sings along, slow and careful, as he leans into the ropes.

There is a splash beneath him, it stops him from singing, but then he sees a head peeking out of the water, wet hair plastered onto a pale forehead in the weak moonlight, and he’s scrambling down from a rigging to get a closer look. By the time his feet are firmly planted onto the deck, whatever is in the water has disappeared, and not even ripples remain, like it was never there.

Billy sighs, and notices that the song in his mind has quietened down to a hum in the back of his mind, barely there, but if he tries hard enough, he can pick out the words that are being sung to him. Ben comes to relieve him of his shift, three hours later, and he’s grateful. The song has been keeping him occupied all night, and for once, Billy is unsure whether or not he’s dreaming. He relaxes into his hammock, and hums the song softly. It lulls him to sleep, the cold of the night embraces him, and then there’s quiet aboard the  _ Walrus. _

The next morning, Billy doesn’t have a single ache or soreness in his bones, muscles are well rested, for the first time they’ve been at sea and it’s a welcome relief. The song plays in his head, a low volume that calms and settles him. He feels a bit crazy, as far as he knows, no one in the crew has ever talked about having both a soulmate mark, and songs being sung in their mind.

The song comforts him. Billy can’t distinguish whether or not the singer is male or female, and honestly, he would prefer it if they were male. The words are wistful, they wrap around Billy like an embrace, and Billy can’t figure out for the life of him why they put him so at ease. 

He approaches Ben once he’s finally awake and ready to interact with people. Ben is, his closest friend on the Walrus, lucky enough to have a soulmate on the crew, two in fact. The first sentences Muldoon and Jacob had ever said to him are both scrawled across each of his biceps, Muldoon’s on his left, Jacob on his right. Both them have identical words scrawled across their hips. “ _ Oh god I’m so happy to have met you both. _ ” Billy is happy for his best friend.

“Did you see anything last night?” Blurts out of his mouth before he can come up with a more eloquent way to ask. Ben pokes out his bottom lip some in a pout and shakes his head before he meets his eyes.

“No, why? Did you?” Billy ponders for a moment. It could have very well been a dream, but it felt so real, the head that had broke through the water’s surface. The image is stuck in his mind.

“I just… I thought I saw something in the water, while I was up in the rigging.” He nods over to the ropes. “But when I climbed down, nothing.” He shrugs. 

“Might’ve been a dream then?” Ben suggests and pats his shoulder. Muldoon calls out to them, more like he yells for Ben to come over to him and Jacob and show them some love. Ben shoots him a grin, that Billy is happy to return, before his best friend is bounding over to his soulmates and dropping down into Muldoon’s lap, and Jacob is taking his hand.

Billy turns to look out over the water. The sea stretches over to the horizon, still no land in sight, not even a speck along the horizon to feed their hopes. The wind hasn’t picked up either, the four day’s they’ve been out at sea, stranded, if not Billy is sure they would’ve been on their way by now, maybe heading back west to Tortuga, maybe Nassau after.

Billy doesn’t have any delusions about them being stuck at sea forever. Flint will sea them out of the mess, as he always does. It leads to the next topic that’s bugging his mind. Their Captain is the only one he knows of, that has more knowledge about soulmates than anyone else on this ship. If they were back in Nassau, he might’ve gone to ask Max, or one of the girls at the brothels, they hear so many stories they might have known.

He’s knocking onto the Captain’s cabin before he can stop himself. Flint calls out from the other side, to come in, and he pushes the door open. He can feel himself shrinking under Flint’s gaze. Their Captain doesn’t intend it, but it’s just the aura he exudes.

“Billy. What’s wrong? You look nervous.” Flint is nothing but observant, and Billy has to blow out his breath. He props his hands onto his hips and paces some, before he turns towards Flint with the question he wants to ask on his tongue.

“Can soulmates hear songs and have soulmarks on their bodies?” Flint looks taken aback by the question, and Billy shrinks, his shoulders coming up to his ears almost. Flint ponders for a moment, and then stands up from his desk. Flint walks over to a shelf, thumbs through some of the books on one of the shelves and pulls one out. It’s a thick, brown leather-bound book that Flint holds out to him.

“That’s an interesting question Billy. This might help you.” Flint places the book against his chest, with a smirk on his face, although it’s not one of Flint’s bloodthirsty smirks, and Billy relaxes some. “Read it, and come back to me about anymore questions you might have.” Flint gives him a smile next, instead of a smirk, and he nods.

Reading isn’t too much of a hardship, since they all have free time on their hands. He climbs the rigging with the book tucked into a vest. God knows Flint would murder him if he accidentally dropped it into the ocean below him. The sun isn’t too hot today, and he wants to read the start of the book away from the muttering of the crew. Flint had allowed some games, although betting and gambling wasn’t allowed, so they’d taken to, some butchered form of fishing over the side of the boat. 

Billy settled into the ropes on the riggings once he was high enough to overlook the ship and the water. The first page of the book is empty, the next, an inscription from the author, under it, a handwritten note. The words somehow, even though he knows they aren’t meant for him, soothe his gut, and he nods in respect to his Captain, even though Flint can’t see him. He turns the pages slowly, reads the words out loud to himself.

It’s a novel, or at least, the first chapter has come out that way. The story is about a pirate, who would sing songs from the moment he could speak, and when he’s asked why, the pirate explains, he’d been hearing them since his birth. It puts a smile on his face. He continues reading the book, and gets absorbed.

By the time he’s climbed back down from the riggings, book still tucked safely against his chest. He’s nearing the centre, and his cheeks are littered with faint tear tracks. He may have been crying over a characters death. Flint catches sight of him, their captain is on deck, and he grins back at the captain.

He brings the book down to his hammock and leaves it there, out of the way. He has to go be social with the crew, with Ben, Muldoon, Jacob, John, Hal, Flint. God knows his family will tease him about suddenly becoming a bookworm. He rubs his thumb longingly over his chest, through his shirt, over the words across his heart

The commotion back on deck grows, and Billy bounds up towards noise. Their butchered form of fishing has actually, brought up a few fish, although the way his men fight over the fish makes him believe that sometimes, it’d be easier to just get a launch with Ben, Muldoon, Jacob, Flint and Hal and just row. Take the only sane men and leave the others to their scrambling, but he’s still happy on the ship, so that plan won’t be put into motion. Billy eyes the crew still fighting over the fish. Maybe. 

He stands next to Ben, who’s watching his two soulmate roll across deck fighting over the dead fish that’s grasped in Muldoon’s hand. Surprisingly, Silver, prosthetic and all, is rolling around with them, readily joining in.

“Are you sure you’re okay with just watching those three?” Ben chuckles at him when he asks. The Scotsman shakes his head at his soulmates and their quartermaster before he turns to Billy.

“I’ll give them two minutes before they realize they could be working together to wrestle over some of the bigger fish.” Ben knows his soulmates well, and as he predicts. Muldoon, Silver and Jacob stop scrambling around the deck and turn towards the other catches and the rest of the crew.

“Lucky you. Fish hands in your hammock tonight.” Billy teases. The smaller man blushes, and shoves Billy playfully. 

“Oh they won’t come near me with fish hands.” Ben smirks, and his eyes glitter in the sunlight. “They know better.” Muldoon and Jacob finally wrestle one of the bigger fishes away when Flint interrupts. 

“Alright! I know this is all fun and games, but let’s all take a break before someone actually gets hurt.” Muldoon is the first to protest, when Flint cuts him off. “I mean seriously hurt Muldoon, Jacob elbowing you in the ribs because you started it, doesn’t count.” That brings laughter for the crew, and then Muldoon is pouting at Ben from where he’s standing.

“Alright, now I gotta go make sure those two aren’t actually hurt.” Ben nods to him and Billy laughs as he walks away towards Muldoon.

“How was the book?” Flint quickly replaces Ben at his side, laughing at his own soulmate who’s hobbling next to Muldoon and Jacob with their catch. 

“It’s sad.” He begins, thinks about the pirate and how he’s left all of his life behind, and the loss of his wife. “I’ve only managed the first half. He loses so much in such a little time.” 

“But?” Flint urges him to continue.

“Without all that loss, he wouldn’t have realized that his songs were actually his soulmate calling out to him.” Billy remember the chapter where the author introduces the fact, it had been after the pirate’s wife’s death had been revealed. “And he wouldn’t have realized that his wife didn’t actually say his words to him until after they were married.” 

“You’ll like the ending I think.” Flint smiles at him. “It’s something that would suit you.” 

“Can I ask you something?” Billy thinks about the inscription that was on the front of the book. The neat, slightly extravagant curl in the words.

“Hmm?” Flint hums, his eyes still trained on John. 

“The inscription on the page with the author’s acknowledgement.”

“Oh yes.” Flint’s smile is slightly reserved, as he shifts on his feet. “It was from another life.” The tone in Flint’s voice dips, and Billy nods and takes the answer. They stand still for a moment, until Flint has to intervene to stop John from straining his leg too much. Billy glances out over the sea again, at the empty horizon, and thinks about the song in his head.

Night falls quickly when you’re stranded at sea. Billy is given first watch this time, and he settles himself back up in the rigging. The noises of the deck below are muffled and soft, as is the lantern light across deck. Most of the crew, except for Muldoon, Ben and Hal, are down below in their hammocks. The butchered fishing had tired out some of the men, and Billy, was happy to have some peace and quiet once the sun set.

A cool breeze blew past, not enough to ruffle the sails, but the collar of his shirt fluttered against his collarbone. The song in the back of his mind is loud once again, like a beacon he thinks. It never overwhelms his other sense, not really, it’s like getting engrossed with someone playing music, but only if they’re in the next room. Billy likes it, the song curls around him, around his head and his heart, and it settles deep in his bones until he’s relaxed amongst the ropes of the riggings.

It compliments the muffled sounds of the crew below him, and as he gazes across the water, and takes in the glittering moonlight across the surface, he sees the same head in the water that was there the night before. 

Whoever it is in the water, whatever it is, waves at him, and in the pale moonlight, Billy can see that whoever it is is blond, and they’re lean. Pale shoulders break the water’s surface. He leans slightly out over the water, one hand curled around the ropes slightly to steady himself, and the figure in the water waves again.

He waves back, and then when the figure gestures, he tilts his head in curiosity. Whoever, whatever, is in the water is trying to communicate with him. The song in his head is, surprisingly louder than before. The figure in the water swims closer, smoothly, the water’s surface barely disturbed except for the ripple that follows the figure. He inches down the rigging, just about two feet down the ropes, and smiles wide when he catches a grin on the figure’s face. 

The water is still too dark to see anything else, but the figure is almost next to the  _ Walrus _ now and he wants to—needs to know whether the figure is real. He doesn’t creep all the way down the riggings, just enough so he can peer over the side. The song in his head has slightly faded into the background, not by much, but it’s quieter than when he’s up in the riggings. The figure waves to him once more, and then tilts its head into the moonlight, and the face looks entirely human.

Billy pauses curiously, and stares down at the human. 

“Hello.” He mouths. The human in the water smirks then, and mouths back. It’s too dark to make out what he’s saying, but he reaches out with one hand, and Billy, does the smartest thing he can think of.

He jumps in.

He meets the water without any grace, and his breath is punched out of his chest as the water rushes over his ears and head. In front of him, in the dark depths of the water he can barely see in, however, isn’t human legs. The sight that greets him is a long length of a shark’s tail. For a moment he thinks that the figure he saw was trying for his attention because of that, a shark stalking him. Then the tail shifts, and a face comes into his view.

He’s beautiful, is the first thing Billy thinks of. His hair, even though wet and suspended in the water, shines at the few rays of moonlight that cuts into the sea. One sharp blue eye stares back at him, the other is a muted light blue. A scar travels from his forehead across the eye. He smiles, and Billy finally notices that the grin is filled with sharp teeth

Whoever it is, cups his cheeks, the song in his head grows louder, then the man, thing, creature, is placing one hand over his heart and it speaks, without even moving its mouth.

“Come down and swim with me.” The song in his head stops abruptly, and then the creature is winding closer and pressing his lips against Billy’s. It takes him by surprise, and he gasps against the creature, only for water to flood into his mouth. The creature winds around him, once, twice, circles him as his chest burns from the lack of air, and then he—does he call the creature an it or a he—ushers Billy towards the surface and the first breath of air is graciously welcome. 

“Are you real?” Billy’s aware of the shouting of his crew, of Ben, Muldoon, Hal above him over the side of the  _ Walrus _ .

“Of course I am my darling.” His voice is low, has an accent that Billy can’t place, but it’s gorgeous, and then he’s kissing Billy again. “I’ve been waiting for you.” The man leans back, slides back properly and then on his chest, which is bare, Billy can see words scrawled over his heart, similar to his own.

_ “Are you real? _ ” Are scrawled neatly across his chest, and Billy’s heart is thumping in his own. The kick of the shark tail against his leg snaps him out of his wonder, and when he glances down in the pale moonlight, he sees that the smoothness of pale skin gives way to grey scales. He reaches out to touch, when they’re interrupted by Hal yelling again down at Billy.

“I can’t stay.” He leans in and nuzzles Billy, gently, nips at his earlobe and pulls away with a teasing grin. “I’ll see you soon darling.” He drawls, and then he’s disappearing under the water’s surface and Billy, paddles to stay afloat, not realizing how much of his own weight was being carried by, whoever that was.

Hal’s thrown a rope down to him, it lands next to him, glances his shoulder. He grips onto it, tightly with one hand as he searches the water’s surface. 

“But I don’t even know your name.” The song starts up again in his head, quiet and muffled, and then, a soft voice whispers to him while someone tugs on the rope.

_ “My name’s Ned darling, Ned Low.”  _


	2. Chapter 2

The face Hal gives him is incredulous, as Billy is pulled aboard. He knows there’s an absolutely dopey smile on his face, and the man who he considers as an adoptive father is currently questioning his sanity right now, as Billy insists that he’s fine, and that he just slipped off the rigging while coming down for a drink.

“Seriously Billy, it looked like you jumped in, all of us think that.” There’s a satisfaction that settles into Billy’s bones as Ben talks to him from the hammock next to him. His crewmates had gotten him into dry clothes and had sent him straight into the deck.

“Look I’m telling you, my hand slipped.” He insists, leaning back into his hammock. The song lingers in his head sweetly, caresses around his chest like a blanket. Ben smiles over at him, rolls his eyes, and then grunts when Muldoon rolls over and presses his face against his chest.

“Billy, you don’t just, slip. You’ve been on the rigging for years.” Ben shakes his head and scratches his fingers against the nape of Muldoon’s neck. “I know something happened you can tell me.”

“I…” Hesitation is clear on Billy’s face. “I think I found my soulmate Ben.” His voice drops to a whisper. Ben pauses in his scritching of the nape of Muldoon neck, and Muldoon shifts on Ben’s hold. Ben starts up the scritching again, and then purses his lips some.

“How? When?”

“Just now. When I jumped in.” Ben tilts his head like a cat and frowns at him.

“Jumped in.”

“Look.” Billy sighs, he doesn't know how to explain it properly. “It's just like a song in my head. And them I saw him in the water and… I needed to know if it was real.” His shoulders drop and he leans back into his hammock and sways it. “I've been hearing it all my life, and then it just stopped when he touched me.” He sighs, maybe a little wistfully.

“Alright.” Ben pauses to glance down at Muldoon, checking if he’s still awake, before he meets Billy’s eyes. “So your soulmate is what? A merman? Siren?”

“I don’t know.” Ned’s voice, his soulmate’s voice, is the singing he can hear in his mind, the words are haunting and wistful, now that Billy knows Ned is the one singing. Somewhere in the darkness of the deep lies his soulmate. “But I’m willing to get to know him.”

Ben looks like he wants to protest, but, as Muldoon murmurs in his sleep against his chest, and Jacob is swaying in his own hammock next to them, his best friend hesitates.

“We can try.” Ben offers up. “If he comes back tomorrow night.”

“Thank you.” Billy rests his head back in the hammock and crosses his hands over his stomach, eyes staring up at the ceiling. The rest of the night, he dreams of Ned, and a bright blue eye.

 

* * *

  


It's a pity that merfolk have such a bad reputation. Ned has always hated the tales that they tell. There is a difference, between merfolk and sirens. A lot of the legends are contributed to lack of knowledge, really, it's close to being sad. Merfolk really do just stay out of the way of humans and don’t really bother them much.

Ned shifts in the water, whips his tail through the darkness as he trails after the _Walrus_ . His pod likes to stay far below the surface, chasing their prey, Meeks especially, doesn't really understand his fascination with the tall human on board the _Walrus_ but indulges him.

It starts when Ned is just fifty, a child by merfolk years, but his words start to crawl across his chest, unreadable but they're starting to form. By the time he can make them out, his song comes out wistful, he realizes that they’ll probably never be a merfolk like him..

His old pod had shunned him, conservative bunch of fucks, weren't too happy with the words scrawled across his chest and the sadness in his song, but he never hid it. Then he'd told the elders of his old pod “Fuck you,” and left. He met Meeks and Holmes, and they started a pod that took in any strays that they met. Now his pod is feared, for chasing away the very predators that give their kind bad name. It's not the reputation he's wanted, and he might have contributed to the legends a little bit by his accidental, overtly violent tendencies, but it’s something.

Now, at 280 years old, he's cutting through the water around a pirate ship because his soulmate, the love of his life, is on board.

The first time he ever sees Billy Bones, (He hears the ginger man calls his name loudly), he's taken aback by the sheer height and bulk of the man. Billy, is gorgeous. Ned thinks it's love at first sight. Billy is on one of the rowboats heading towards shore in the dead of the night towards Nassau, and Ned wants to meet him.

He goes through the painful process of separating his tail and hobbling across land on shaky feet. He's lucky enough that Nassau had enough hidden coves on the East Bay that he can stow away clothes and weapons to look the part of a pirate.That’s the easy part.

Wandering through Nassau to find Billy on the other hand, is rather tricky. People are everywhere and on land, his sense aren't as honed in on Billy as they should be. He gets lost, stumbles into men who spit and snarl and growl at him, it happens a few times. He bumps into someone, their breath will stink of whatever alcohol they've had and then he ducks away to avoid a fight.

By the time Ned even gets close enough to Billy Bones, the bosun of the _Walrus_ looks like all he wants is peace and quiet, and Ned doesn't dare approach him, but Ned is intoxicated by the smile on his face as he sits around a fire with his men, surrounded by tents on the beach. He lingers and watches, for as long as he can before his presence is noticed, and then slips away to the cove before the sun comes up..

Now he's in the water swimming down towards his pod with an uncanny, bright smile on his face. Billy Bones, his soulmate, jumped into the water to join him. He doesn't intend to lure Billy to his death with his song, despite what all the legends say. he wants to get to know the man that is made for him. The moment he touched Billy in the water everything had fallen into place, and Billy had looked so sweet in his arms and didn't look at him with disgust when he noticed Ned’s tail.

Meeks and Holmes were the first that he'd noticed in the water, circling a minuscule school of fish. Ned is silent as he swims around them and then sneaks up on Meeks, grabbing his shoulders and distracting him from the fish that he's about to catch.

Meeks spins around and bares his teeth at him, only to relax and float back when he recognizes Ned.

“How did it go with him?” His pod had been waiting far below the hull of the _Walrus_ , wary of the men on board. Holmes is smiling at the two of them and swimming over, the minuscule school of fish forgotten.

“He didn't panic.” He wasn't really expecting Billy to jump into the water, but the kiss was nice, capturing, enrapturing. “I kissed him.”

“That’s good.” Holmes wraps his arms around Meeks, and Ned huffs at his friends, his sappy, adorable friends who make him long for his soulmate.

“I don’t think he minds this.” Ned winds around in a circle and gestures to his tail. He flicks his tail in the water and floats backwards some.

“Does that mean we can stop hiding?” Holmes floats past and around him, grins and then swishes past to curl around Meeks in something reminiscent of a piggyback. His two best friends want to meet Billy, want to accompany him back up to the surface even though the rest of his pod is happy to stay down below. The rest of their pod is lingering over their meals, among the submerged wreck of the _Fancy_ that they all call home.It could be entirely coincidental that the _Walrus_ has ended up stranded above their home, Ned calls it fate.

Ned, Meeks and Holmes wander through the dark, across the sea-floor towards the rest of their pod. No one really understands his fascination with Billy, even after he explains that his soulmate is human. But no one judges him either, he’s too much of a good leader for them to doubt.

His pod is loyal to him, and they’re a family. Ned relaxes into the throne he’s fashioned for himself amongst the rocks and the algae and seaweeds, and strokes a thumb longingly over his chest where Billy’s words are etched into his chest. He’s always thought about them when he was younger, what kind of soulmate doesn’t know that their mate is real? But when his old pod had reacted, it cemented the rumours that his mate wasn’t one of the merfolk. Funnily enough, he doesn’t mind it. His new pod is the closest family he’ll ever have and Meeks and Holmes are like the brothers that he finally learned how to care about.

And now Ned has Billy Bones, the bosun of the _Walrus,_ strong, tall, handsome, ray of sunshine soulmate. Ned closes his eyes, pictures Billy in his head, and he sings.

* * *

 

 

Billy, is distressed. When he wakes in his hammock, he can hear the sound of gulls. Gulls mean land. Ben is still curled with Muldoon when Billy swings his legs over the side of his hammock, most the men are still asleep, so when Billy wanders up to the deck, he’s surprised to see John and Flint standing on deck, holding hand gently and speaking with hushed voices. Billy makes a move to back away, to give them their space when Flint turns his head and catches his eye.

The Captain moves, as does John, and they both nod in greeting as BIlly walks over to them. He glances out over the water, and sighs when he spots a tiny island, or well, it could be massive for all he knows but they’re a decent way off of it.

“Wind picked up during the night, I didn’t want to wake most of you.” Flint gives as a way of explanation.

“Well Captain. At least we’re closer to land. We might be able to make it, look for food, fresh water?” Billy suggests. For this moment, he has to push Ned out of his mind, although the thought of Ned makes the corner of his mouth turn upwards, and then he turns his attention back towards the island that, in a way, looms ahead of them.

There’s no way of knowing what’s on the island. There could be other people there, could be absolutely nothing there. There could be animals to hunt, fresh water to collect.

“Alright. Billy, take Ben and his puppies with him.” His puppies, Muldoon and Jacob. Billy laughs and nods.

“I’ll wake them up.” Billy glances back at the island. “Any idea where we are?” He asks curiously. Flint shakes his head in response. John pulls himself to his full height next to his soulmate and drops a hand onto Flint’s shoulder. The quartermaster leans his chin onto Flint’s shoulder, on top of his hand and give Billy a look.

“Heard you had a swim last night.” John smiles. “Are you alright?”

Billy nods, smiling to himself. “Just slipped on my way down.” Flint gives him a dismissive look and Billy lets himself retreat back down to their hammocks to wake Ben, Muldoon and Jacob.

He taps Ben’s forehead to wake him. Ben is, the easiest one to wake up, out of all of them. Muldoon would grumble at him, maybe slap him (the tiny man has such a loud slap), and Jacob will curse and probably wake up the rest of the crew if anyone but Ben or Muldoon wakes him.

Ben grumbles, just a little as Billy taps his nose, before he’s shifting and waking. Ben blinks blearily at him, before he realizes that Billy’s hovering over him patiently.

“What?” Ben frowns. “What is it?”

“Land. Captain said I could take you, Muldoon and Jacob down with one of the launches. Investigate.” Ben smiles and relaxes, before he pats the top of Muldoon’s bald head. He leaves Ben to get his soulmates up, gathers his pistol and his cutlass and straps them to his belt. You’d never know what you could find on an island in the middle of nowhere.

He waits on deck for them, Flint and John help him load some water and food into the rowboat. Ben, Muldoon and Jacob come out on deck, significantly more disheveled than he’d left them. He can’t help the small chuckle that escape his lips when Jacob playfully shoves Muldoon.

How sweet, quiet Ben ended up with with rowdy Muldoon and Jacob, Billy will never understand, but they make his best friend happy. Jacob and Billy are the ones who row the boat the distance towards shore. The water beneath them goes from reflecting the dark depths, even in the sunlight, to glittering and clear when they get into the shallows. They can see through the water till the bottom.

Little fishes zip around in the water, dart away from the ripples of the boat. The island looks innocent so far, safe and Billy thinks the sand looks incredibly soft. It might be, if he takes his boots off and sinks his toes into the sand. By the time they pull into shore, and drag the rowboat up the sand, the treeline is however, beginning to look ominous.

“First thing’s first. Let’s try and find some fresh water.” Billy speaks up while Muldoon is shoving Jacob across the sand. “And no splitting up, we don’t need to get into trouble.”

Except, sometimes, Billy doesn’t take his own advice.

He, got split up from Muldoon, Ben and Jacob. It was entirely his fault, he’d slipped on a patch of mud, tripped on a root and before any of them could grab his arm to steady him, he’d fallen at least, thirty, forty feet down some kind of cliff.

“Keep going.” He shouts when he sees Ben’s face peering over the edge. “I’ll find a way around.” He really shouldn’t try to move, should wait for Ben, Muldoon and Jacob to come up with a plan. He can’t climb back up, the mud is too slippery for him, and everytime he reaches for a root to try and haul himself up it gets pulled out of the ground. He’s at a slight loss. He’s fallen onto what looks like a used path, although it doesn’t look like it’s been used much recently.

He can wait, or he can follow the path.

Follow the path it is.

The path winds deeper into the trees, too deep for him to feel entirely comfortable, but the singing in his mind, Ned’s singing settles him slightly. He comes across a waterfall, he hears the rush of the water long before he sees it.

The waterfall, is breath-taking. A beautiful sight that draws him in. The water glitters ahead of him, as sunlight cuts through the trees and shines onto the water. He drops his hands onto the waterskin at his side, half empty. The humidity on the island is more than he’s used to. He steps hesitantly towards the water’s edge, towards the glittering water.

He drops to his knees once he’s at the edge of the pool. He can already feel the coolness of the water radiating off it, and when he dips his hands into it, his sigh practically gets dragged out of his chest.

The water is so damn refreshing. Billy dunks his head into the water, drags his hands over his face and wipes the water from his eyes before he cracks into a smile. He shuffles closer to the water's edge and leans in, dunks his face in again and drinks. Fresh, _clean_ water.

A splash distracts him, and then there’s a minute shift in the air, and his head is snapping up, alert. There’s movement behind the waterfall, a flash of pale skin behind running water. Billy scrambles back from waters edge, reaches for his gun and his fingers scramble among leaves and wet rock.

“Don’t panic.” He hears him before he sees him. Billy lifts his head. Ned. His shoulders are just above the water’s surface. Through the clear water, Billy can see that his tail stretches out past his body, long and sleek, a greyish brown with patterned splotches that shines beneath the sunlight reflected in the water.

“Ned?” He hesitates, and slowly straightens his back. Ned smiles at him. He looks nervous, in the water, and Billy inches back towards the water’s edge on his knees. “How?”

Ned’s tail swishes behind him, and then Ned circles the pool. While Ned’s body is decidedly bare, he has a belt looped around his shoulders, a makeshift holster, and a cutlass is tucked into it. “Caves lead underwater, out into the ocean. I saw you leave.” Ned nods in what must be the direction of the Walrus. “I’ve been lingering in a few pools, hoping to find you.”

Billy smiles, and leans in closer to the pool of water, skims his hands across the surface. “You’ve been looking for me?” He doesn’t know what to think, if he’s being honest with himself. Ned isn’t, remotely human.

“Come down and swim with me?” Ned repeats slowly. The same words that Ned had whispered to him while he was in the water. Ned meets his eyes, and Billy lets out a slow breath. “Please?” Ned sounds so sweet, his accent lifts, it curls around him, pulls him in.

Billy sheds his clothes next to his pistol, strips and steps into the water. The pool is deceptively deep, he realizes when wades into the water. The water comes up to his waist, and most of Ned’s body is curled and hidden underneath the water. Once he’s submerged up to his chest, is when Ned moves. Ned is lightning fast, faster than he expects, and then Ned is clutching at his face and pressing his lips onto Billy’s.

Billy’s hands grip onto Ned’s waist, fingers brush over skin and scales, avoiding the leather, smooth one way, rough the other. Ned wraps his arms around his shoulders, kisses him deeply. Billy is taken aback for a moment, a second, before he kisses back just as enthusiastically as Ned is kissing him.

Ned lets out a soft moan against his mouth, soft, raw. Ned coaxes a moan from his mouth and drags his nails down the length of Billy’s back. They’re incredibly sharp and Billy, he likes it, likes the sharpness of Ned’s nails as he swipes a tongue across his lips. Ned pulls away from him, and the smile on his face is blinding, pretty, and it let’s Billy fall a little more in love with his soulmate.

“What...What are you?” Billy’s hands slide down Ned’s waist and touch his tail, hesitantly, slowly, gently.

“Merfolk, mermaid, merman, mershark.” Ned lists. His tail swishes, knocks against Billy’s legs, and Billy smooths his hand over the scales on his tail. “The stuff of stories, legends.”

Billy chuckles, and Ned pulls them back into the water.

Billy sputters, when both he and Ned resurface. “You’re a menace.” He splashes water onto Ned playfully.

“But I’m, your menace.” Ned reaches up and taps Billy’s nose with a wet finger. Billy chuckles, and his eyes drop to the words scrawled along Ned’s chest, half hidden under the leather belt across his chest. He lifts his hand, gently, and touches the words that are uncovered, traces them with the tips of his fingers slowly. “I am, yours.” Ned insists slowly.

“You are.” Billy murmurs. ”And I’m yours.” Ned traces the words on chest and mimics Billy’s own movements.

“You’re not disgusted?” Ned drops his hands down Billy’s and traces the lines on Billy’s chest, follows the lines and grooves of his muscles. “By me?” Ned drops his gaze along with his eyes.

Ned flinches when Billy touches his cheek, and his stomach turns slightly. “Why would I be?” The words come out on their own, but when Billy pauses, he knows that they’re true. Why should he be disgusted with Ned? Ned is beautiful. The blue in his eye is strikingly deep. He slides a hand into Ned’s hair, which is surprisingly soft to the touch.

“Because I’m not human, and you… you are.” Ned seems to shrink when he says it, and Billy frowns.

“No. Stop that.” Billy’s voice is firm, and he frowns. “You’re my soulmate. You were made for me.” He can feel Ned’s tail against him, curling around his legs. He wraps an arm around Ned’s waist and tugs him close, until their chests are touching. His other hand strokes Ned’s cheek, under the scar over his muted, light blue eye.

Ned’s arms sling around his shoulders, and pulls him up, until their eyes meet. “I’ve waited two-hundred and thirty years to find you, and you are everything that I want.”

Billy blushes, and ducks his gaze. “Well I’ve been wanting to find you, ever since I heard you singing.” Ned chuckles and leans in to brush his lips against Billy’s cheek. “Will you sing for me now?”

Billy wants to hear the words. Real words that aren’t just in his head. He needs to hear them, has to hear them come to life. Ned leans back for a moment and searches Billy’s face.

“Are you sure?” Ned has to ask. Billy nods, and then Ned lets go and slides back into the water, until everything is submerged but his head. Billy follows him, deeper into the pool until the water sloshes against his collarbone.

“Always.” Billy watches as Ned swims back towards the falls slowly, beckoning with his smile. Ned pauses and settles in one place, and takes a breath.

The song is slow, filled with yearning and it’s wistful, and Ned’s voice carries over the water. It sends ripples, over toward Billy. He wades closer, even as the water splashes dangerously at his chin. Ned has his eyes closed, and his body has sunk into the water, so that his chin is skimming the surface of the water as his mouth moves. Billy moves forward, until his bottom lip touches the water, and he’s come to stand in front of Ned.

Ned is still singing, voice never increasing in volume, but his face is relaxed and his own eyes are closed, like he’s performing for a single audience that just consists of Billy and no one else. Billy gasps, when Ned’s eyes open and the song cuts off abruptly. Ned ducks his head under the water, and Billy follows, submerging his head and blinking open his eyes in the water.

Ned has swum into one of the deeper sections of the pool. He winds and circles, flicking his tail side to side as he moves, and then he settles, closer into the deep of the pool, and Billy follows. He swims down towards Ned, bubbles escaping from his nose every few seconds. Ned looks surprised, that Billy has followed him into the water past where it was safe to go.

Billy floats in the water in front of Ned and waits, patiently, for Ned to make a move. Ned uncurls from how he’s settled, and the song starts up again in Billy’s mind while Ned’s mouth begins to move underwater. No bubbles leave his mouth, and it’s a startling reality of _what_ Ned is.

And then Ned is swimming up to him, clutching onto his cheeks and kissing him, kissing deeply and then Ned is also kissing air into his lungs. It softens the slight burn of protest that his lungs were giving him. Then Ned is swimming backwards, his hands still on Billy’s cheeks, and he drags Billy deeper, deeper down into the pool.

They’ve gone past the rush of the waterfall, and they’re now surrounded by dark stones and the sunlight barely reaches down to where Ned is holding onto him. Through the kiss, Ned is still somehow breathing air into his lungs, while his tail twists and flicks side to side.

In the water, fully submerged in the water, Ned is so much stronger, so much larger, his presence is so much more intimidating. Billy feels slightly insignificant as Ned stretches out his whole body against Billy’s. His upper body which is mostly human, ends just above Billy’s hips, if Ned was human (with human legs) he’d be a good ten inches shorter than Billy at least. But then the feel of Billy’s tail reminds him that there’s still another three feet of body attached to Ned that decidedly makes him taller than Billy.

Ned’s tail is powerful. Billy has seen the silent, hidden power every time Ned flicks his tail. He needs it just to keep the both of them steady now, suspended in the water. Ned has dragged them both down against Billy’s natural buoyancy and the pressure of deep water and has managed to do it with such was that it astounds him.

The tips of Ned’s nails press into his cheeks, and from where he glances down, Billy can see that they aren’t really nails, but claws. He lets his eyes drop shut as Ned kisses him, even longer. Everything feels simple, while they’re suspended in water and Ned’s lips are pressed to his. Billy will readily and happily stay here forever.

That is until Ned stiffens against him in the water, and rushes him to the surface just as he opens his eyes. His soulmate, tucks a chaste and quick kiss into the crook of his shoulder, and then grazes his teeth-they’re sharp and they prick into his skin-before Ned pulls away urgently.

“I have to go.” He says in lieu of an explanation. Somehow the rumble of the waterfall is drowned out, the sound of Ned’s voice is at the forefront of his mind, the song melting into the background, and then he hears a rustle and the tell-tale sounds of boots cracking on twigs.

Ned looks at him, and it’s almost wistful, before his soulmate leans in for one more kiss. Ned clutches onto his biceps while he kisses him, hungrily, wanting, and then it melts into something slower.

“I will always come when you call for me.” Ned whispers against his lips. “But I have to go.” Billy nods slowly, against Ned. Their foreheads touch for a moment, and then Ned pulls away from him, slips under the water without so much as a ripple, and disappears.

Right as Ben, Muldoon and Jacob burst through the bushes.

Billy stares, at the water in front of him. He can vaguely hear Ben call his name, concerned.

He touches his lips. Presses his fingers against them.

He thinks he might already be in love with Ned.


	3. Chapter 3

Ned didn’t want to leave Billy, not alone, not in that glittering pool with the sun cutting through the trees and his soulmate’s arms around him and lips on him. He heard Meeks calling for him through the water, a distress call, Some of the pod, Meeks, Holmes, Nottley, Kelton had followed him overnight while he followed the _Walrus,_ offered to keep watch for him while he delved into the underground caves and tunnels to look for Billy. It was dangerous territory now.

It was a risk that he took, coming into the island.

The area around the _Fancy_ and anything that extended out north and west was his territory. It extended as far as Nassau and it was large enough that they never ran out of plentiful hunting grounds. Ned could come and go as he pleased anywhere in those boundaries, as could his pod, and any strays they had taken in were allowed to do the same.

But here, this island. This island was in territory that wasn’t his own.

Territory belonging to other Merfolk.

He smells Meeks long before he sees him. His right hand man is wounded, bleeding out into the open sea and Ned can already feel rage and bloodlust turning inside him. His hand drops to the handle of his cutlass and he whips it out while he cuts through the water.

Ned is a weapon, his entire body is one, from his fins to his tail, to his teeth and claws, he’s built to be a weapon, being a shark. But Meeks, is not. Holmes is circling his mate franticly snapping his teeth and growling when he finally arrives on the scene. Together, Meeks at his right hand, and Holmes as his left, the pair of them would be considered unstoppable fighting together.

But the two of them are outnumbered and if Ned doesn’t even the odds soon, he may not have the two of them left.

When Ned catches the tail that zips past him, he can feel his teeth prick at his lips while he growls. Mersharks, attacking members of his pod. He dives into the fray, snapping his teeth and slashing with his cutlass. The added weapon of a sword is enough to deter most of the soldiers who have been attacking Meeks and Holmes, although a fair few of them linger in the distance, among the rocks, waiting for Ned to turn his back and drop his guard.

“Head back to the _Fancy_.” Ned barks the orders, curling and zipping outwards as one of the soldiers gets too close for comfort. The fins on his neck, which barely show at all, flare now, in agitation and irritation. Mersharks attacking his pod. He can see that his own kind is watching him with fucking beady eyes, the bastards.

Some of them could very well be part of his old pod. He narrows his eyes, and glances over his shoulder to ensure that Meeks and Holmes are actually moving before he begins to back away.

His neck fins flare, and he growls again, snaps his teeth and brandishes his sword, a warning to anyone who moves. Then, he chases Meeks and Holmes back towards the Fancy, and the safety of his territory. The swim home is slow. Meeks is being dragged between both him and Holmes, his wound, a vicious bite on his shoulder, is wrapped with seaweed.

Ned can still smell the blood from his shoulder. It makes his stomach twist. He needs to eat, to feast, to go into a frenzy. He’d gotten a few bites into some of the soldiers that he’d fought off, and the thought of their blood spilling into his mouth around his teeth is enough to sate him for the moment.

The rest of their pod is waiting, buzzing with concern and some with fright. Colt and Quint pull Meeks away from him, and relent from chasing Holmes away when the mershark bares his teeth. He leaves Meeks in the care of his mate and their doctor.

He’s not going to be able to go back to the island. If Billy is still even there. The pod that the territory belongs to will be on high alert now, there’ll be sentries, guards, maybe even soldiers who guard entrances to the underground caves. His only chance now will be if Billy calls to him aboard the _Walrus_.

One of his pod. He thinks it’s Harley, one of the younger mers, who takes him by the bicep and can read the hungry look in his eyes.

“Captain.” Harley tugs at his bicep with sharp claws. A fair few of his pod are sharks. Him, Holmes, Harley, Colt, a couple of the newcomers are too, and they all know just as well how he feels when there’s blood in the water and the only thing they’ve been eating is small schools of fish.

Being down in the sea like this, with a pod as diverse as his, it’s hard to ensure everyone’s dietary concerns are met. His pod-mates have dubbed him their Captain (life would be easier if they were all humans and pirates), and he’s supposed to be taking care of all of them, not getting them into trouble.

Nottley is an octopus, and whoever is partnered with him for hunting usually hates having to do it monthly. It’s a pseudo bonding activity that Ned had come up for all of them to get along and be more respectful about dietary needs and each other. His arms (all ten of them) are powerful and the hidden beak he has (which Ned admits gave him nightmares the first time he saw it) makes him just as powerful as the sharks in the pod.

Meeks is just a simple merfolk he’s no sub-species that has been born a shark, or a predator for that matter, his tail is pretty and the smooth yellow is what attracted Holmes to his mate in the first place (before they even realized they were mates, Ned had to watch four years of pining, _from both his friends because they wouldn’t actually speak to each other_ ). Meeks carries at least three sharp things on him, two daggers strapped to his bicep and a cutlass are his usual ensemble.

He remembers one of his pod, a young girl they lost, who was some jellyfish, whose tail was almost transparent and she had tendrils that hung from her body that were so fine and long that most the pod had trouble actually being around her. She was sharp, smart, kind. Ned didn’t like that he had to leave her body behind in uncharted waters.

There’s so many of them now, which is why his territory is so large, and they all need so many different things, and Ned has to look after all of them. Sure Meeks and Holmes do their best to help, but there’s just something a pod-elder has to do on their own.

Harley drags him over to one of the feeding grounds and leaves him there. To frenzy, but Ned is having a surprisingly easy time to push down the feelings of bloodlust because he can feel a tug in his chest, calming and settled. It’s like someone gently tugging onto a thread that tied to his heart and his insides.

It has to be Billy, calling for him. He can’t go back yet. Not yet. Not until the Walrus has sailed back into his territory and back into safety. He won’t risk his pod right now, not with Meeks wounded, and Holmes would kill him if he went alone.

“Soon.” He tries to send the message along the little thread getting tugged at, their bond, and then through the song. Sometimes the world and it’s magic plays nice, like the time he first spoke to Billy, but other times nothing seems to work for him.

Everything is a hit or miss.

He hopes the message sends through. It’s just not safe, and he’d be a horrid leader if he just up and left his pod for Billy, a human, no matter what they know about Billy and what he means. He sighs, and curls into the sand of the feeding grounds and snatches out at a curious fish that wanders too close.

He inspects the fish in his hands, before he digs his claws into it. Blood floats through the water and as Ned inhales, he can feel something spark to life inside him, something primal and raw. He bites into the fish, rips it clean in half and devours it, bone and all and then stares at his bloodied hand.

Ned’s never really understood why.

Why was there a cycle of predator and prey? Why are some merfolk built like weapons and folk like Meeks weren’t? Why the world had given them soulmates? Why there were humans and then, mythical creatures of stories and legends? He’s spent most of his life waiting for something all because destiny and history had told him to. Granted, Billy is, everything he wants—selfishly so, but it’s true. He squeezes the half of the fish in his hand and then shoves it into his mouth, teeth slicing through scales and the slippery surface of them.

There’s another tug in his chest, stronger than the first. Billy is calling out for him again. He wants to go, even though he can’t. The good of the pod outweighs any selfish desires. He uncurls from where he’s settled and swims forward, along the sand, hands darting out to snatch up any fish that wanders too close.

By the time he’s caught five or so fish, the tug in his chest has subsided and so has his appetite. The fish wiggle around, still alive while impaled on his claws. He might as well take them back to Meek while he’s resting, least they go to waste. He picks the fish off of his claws and gathers them together with a piece of seaweed.

He swims back to the _Fancy_ , with the fish clutched to his side. He can still smell Meeks blood, the scent lingers in the water around their ship and it causes a dry feeling in his mouth (even in they’re submerged in water). He slides into the _Fancy_ , they’ve re-purposed the captain’s cabin into a pseudo medical room. Holmes is hovering over Meeks nervously.

He knocks on the door, the sharp scent of Meeks’ blood is stronger in the room but there’s no ripped skin in view under the seaweeds that have been wrapped around his shoulder. Ned’s mouth turns up at the corner, when Meeks stares hungrily at the fish he’s carrying.

“Been hungry for a while?” Ned asks with a tilt in his smile. Meeks is, always hungry, even more when he gets injured. Ned’s seen his friend get snacky just from being in a verbal fight.

“You know me so well Ned.” Meeks tries to sit up, only to have Holmes push him back onto the cot they’ve set up. Ned can’t help but chuckle, when Holmes bares his teeth at Meeks and glares him onto his back.

Ned is a provider, always has been. He floats over towards Meeks smoothly and brushes a hand across his friend’s forehead. Holmes takes the fish from him and unwraps them, skilfully using his claws to de-bone them. Meeks doesn’t like the bones, Ned doesn’t understand that (he just eats the fish whole and doesn’t think about it), but it’s one of his friend’s quirks.

“What happened?” Ned settles down into a chair with Meeks and Holmes.

“We were just, waiting for you, and then Meeks started chasing a fucking ray and we ran into those soldiers.” Holmes answers him and crosses his arms over his chest.

“Why were you chasing a ray?” Of all the things that had them getting into trouble.

“I wanted to grab and make a knife out of the stinger.” Meeks looks at him sheepishly, and Holmes tucks his fingers into Meeks’ hair. “It would’ve worked, I almost caught the bastard.” Ned has to sigh at both his pod-mates.

“I swear to god, you’re all horrible, and you’re all gonna die without me.” Ned huffs and leans back into the chair. Holmes has the decency to nod his head in agreement.

“Of course, that is if you aren’t too busy with your soulmate.” The corner of Holmes’s mouth is teasing at a grin and Ned narrows his eyes. “We can all hear you when you’re singing you know.”

“Look, just cause you two took four years to figure it out-” Holmes starts protesting while Meeks laughs. “Doesn’t mean that I’m going to take that long. He knows we’re soulmates.”

“And he still likes you even though he’s met you?” Ouch, that kind of hurt Meeks. His cheeks heat, and he ducks his head to hide the shy smile that’s on his face.

“Well. I think so.”

“Awh, look at you Ned, are you blushing?” He wishes he had something to toss at Holmes’s smug face. “Look Meeks, our Captain’s in love.”

“Shut up!” He crosses his arms tighter around his chest. The flush across his cheeks have reached the tips of his ears, which he can feel burning. “He’s my soulmate.” He sounds like a petulant child, even to his own ears, and he can feel the shift in the water where Meeks is trying to stifle his laughter.

“Gosh I hate the both of you.” He shuts his eyes and pouts at them.

“No you love us.” Meeks corrects from his bed and Ned lets out a groan.

His best friends may be right. Just maybe.

 

* * *

 

Billy is acting shy. Ben notices as they’re walking back through the humid jungle. After they’d found Billy stripped down and staring at the water like he was crazy, they’d taken inventory of what they had. Deciding that they had enough supplies (Ben did all the work mind you, while Muldoon and Jacob goofed off and Billy had done god knows what in that pool of water) Billy orders them back to the _Walrus._

Ben is worried. Billy’s cheeks are flushed and he’s been worrying his bottom lip more and more in between his teeth while he rows. Normally, Billy’s silence wouldn’t worry him one bit, but the way Billy looked longingly down into the water was something completely different.

Back on the deck of the _Walrus_ , Ben pulls Billy aside from the rest of the crew with a firm grip on his arm.

“What is wrong with you?” Ben prods at the man’s chest, snapping Billy’s eyes from the floor to meet his own. “You’ve been distracted ever since we found you.” Billy is quiet, distracted. Ben pokes him again in the chest and Billy snaps back to the present again.

“Billy.”

“He was there.” Comes as a soft reply. “Before you guys found me.” Billy meets his eyes, there’s a look of longing in them.

“Billy.” The taller man had been in such a state after he’d gone overboard. Ben steps forward and drops his hand onto Billy’s arm. “Are you sure?” It’s not that Ben wants to doubt him, it’s just that he hasn’t seen any proof of the man Billy says is his soulmate.

“Of course I’m sure.” Billy regains that distant look in his eyes. “He’s out there Ben! I know he is.” Ben nods. If Billy believes, he’ll believe.

He thinks of his own marks, two soulmates isn’t rare at any rate, there have been rarer things. Ben has seen a lot. Seen men and women who have no marks at all, who have half deformed marks that don’t actually have words. He’s seen men and women tattoo fake marks onto their bodies so they can be with people they love. Anything is possible in a world filled with untouched magic.

Maybe there’s a possibility that Billy’s soulmate is real.

 

* * *

 

The wind picks up after an hour and a half after they return to the _Walrus_. Billy is still distracted, as he holds onto the ropes. Flint is above deck barking orders towards the crew, and Billy repeats them loudly over the sound of the waves, but his eyes are trained down into the very depths of the ocean.

He thinks of Ned, tries to call out to him. He feels a warmth in his chest, like something is pushing into him. It’s a soothing warmth. The song in the back of his mind pushes to the front, growing slightly louder. A smile slips easily onto his face.

Ned can hear him.

“ _Soon.”_ Ned’s voice whispers into his ear.

He wonders what Ned is doing, why he had to disappear so fast? Ned moved so quietly (gracefully) through the water when he’d disappeared. It makes Billy smile. Ned had purposefully alerted him to his presence, all the three times they’d met. He tries to send something back to Ned, reassurance. He pictures a string between them and tries to push feelings along it.

It will take them two weeks to return back to Nassau if these winds keep up. From now, it’s smooth sailing until the weather decides otherwise. Flint gestures him over. The Captain is grinning at something John says while he walks over.

“Have you gotten any further into that book?” The book. The… book? Oh the book that the Captain had lent to him.

“Uh, no sir. Haven’t had the time to sit down and read the rest honestly.” Billy tries for a smile that comes out slightly crooked.

“Oh.” Flint doesn’t look like he expected that answer. “I assumed with how happy you seemed, you got to the ending.” Oh. Billy can’t help the smile that widens onto his face.

Ned is what’s making him happy, a constant warmth in his chest like he can feel what his soulmate is feeling.

“Well, I’ll have to sit down and read it once we’re back at Nassau. If this wind keeps up we’ll be home in no time.” Nassau is home. Would Ned like Nassau? He wonders. Flint looks at him curiously, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. Billy nods to his Captain, and when Flint smiles back, he feels oddly content.

John drops a hand onto his soulmate’s shoulder and Flint’s attention on Billy is lost to the wind (and the blowing curls that make John look like a disheveled puppy in Billy’s opinion). While Flint is distracted by John, who leans his weight on him and abandons the crutch he’s using, Billy glances out towards the open water.

The water still stretches out until it meets the horizon. It glitters in the sunlight, even as the _Walrus_ cuts through the water and causes it to churn. He’s always felt like he belonged to the sea in some ways, whenever they were on the water.

When he was younger, and the crew of the _Walrus_ first found him on the slaver’s ship, he’d mostly given up hope. His cheerful demeanour and smile had all but diminished. His determination hadn’t, and he’d worked for his keep on that ship, until he was all bones. It’s where his last name comes from. He remembered when Hal first found him below deck, handling a pike like it was a decent weapon to defend against pirates.

The man had given him one look and broken his chains with said pike, and then asked him what his name was.

“Billy.” He responded with. There was no point with a last name.

“Alright Billy. You look like you’re all bones.”

He had fed Billy. Billy glances over to his saviour. Hal was over checking onto the rigging. He gave Billy a home, and then Flint put his trust in him. The ship rocks under his feet and he’s shaken out of his memory.

Nassau may be his home on land. He loves the place, it means something to him, it stands for freedom for all of them. He wonders if Ned will come to Nassau if he calls.

He might.

But for now, Billy will settle with sending feelings down the thread from his chest to Ned’s.


	4. Chapter 4

 

1435 - Irish Waters

 

Ned had been born in the waters surrounding Ireland, he’d been living in dark waters with his family. His ma had had him in some cove, lord knows how they found a cove in those cold waters but, it happened. He grew up a good kid. He learned well, sure he was a little violent, it comes with the territory of being a damn shark, but he was a good kid (by merfolk standard at least).

Ned explored, as all teen mers did. He found his legs and walked the lands of Ireland. He picked up their accent, intrigued by the way his tongue would curl around the words. It sounded real, it made Ned sound real.

He’d trained with the pod elders, never really cared for politics, but fighting, fighting he understood, he was so eager to join the soldiers to protect the pod.

Then he turned fifty and words began to scrawl across his chest, and the elders stopped teaching him. It was horrible at first, to suddenly lose all the friends he had. Other merfolk had stopped interacting with him. When his song manifested, the isolation got worse, even his ma wouldn’t come see him anymore.

That’s when he spat in his pod-elder’s faces and told them to fuck themselves, anger boiling over in his chest, and it cost him his eye.

He’d left Irish waters, a hand over his eye and his teeth bared, pretending that he wasn’t hurt.

The pod-elders didn’t expect him to survive.

He swam for days, days and days and didn’t stop even when he was far away from his home. His eye was infected, the cut across it irritated from all the water rushing past it. He’d collapsed against a shipwreck, lacking any kind of energy to move. Searched through the algae and sea-flora that grew on the wreckages for anything to do good for his eye after he’d rested for a moment.

It was when he’d run into Holmes. By all means, Ned wasn’t a small mer, but as a subspecies, he was tiny compared to Holmes. Holmes’s tail stretched a good four feet behind him, flicked through the water with a lot more power than his did. It would have been an unmatched fight, Holmes, a hammerhead, Ned, a catshark.

But then Holmes had held out a handful of algae and seaweed that he was looking for, offered to try and save his eye. He ended up making a friend.

Holmes was chased from his own pod and left to die, the rest of his pod were more like a cult, if you didn’t follow their rules, you were outcasted. Ned got along with him well, well enough that when Holmes’s pod had pushed through the area again, he and Holmes had fought them rather than hid away.

Ned seemed to have an advantage around the hammerheads, smaller than them, quick and agile, he and Holmes had the added advantage of cutlasses scavenged from the ship. They’d decimated Holmes’s old pod.

Holmes’s old pod was pathetic, all bark and no bite when they’d faced off each other. By the time Ned had finally pushed and grappled his way back through to Holmes’s side, the hammerhead was breathing heavily with blood up to his elbows.

They ran into a group of merfolk wandering straight after. Slowly, Ned began building his own pod, of strays and misfits and merfolk that just didn’t fit in anywhere else.

Ned met Meeks when they were out hunting, and the mer refused to be left alone with Holmes, whether it was out of fear, or something else entirely, Ned played messenger between them for four good years before Meeks worked up the courage to say something to Holmes. Ned laughed the moment he spoke and blurted out Holmes’s words.

Ned was skeptical when Holmes came to him with the idea first, Meeks following behind him. Holmes wanted to target a popular fishing spot frequented by the British. Merfolk were known to go missing around the area. It was a dangerous risk, exposure of their own kind, to protect humans and merfolk alike. He was going to say no.

But he had seen too many merfolk come into his territory, tossed out by their own families to fend for themselves. And so he began his own little contributions to the legends, violence that wreaked havoc on ships and merfolk alike (only the horrid ones, like his and Holmes’s old pods, rogue sirens and merfolk that harmed others for the hell of it, humans that hunted their kind, sold them, as pets, as food). He never went after the innocent, never harmed women or children, although no one put that into the legends did they?

And then his reputation was born, and so did the good fortune for his pod.

 

1715 - Ned Low’s territory - West Indies.

 

There is an attack on the Northern border. Ned wakes up to distress calls from both Kinsey and Nottley, sharp and pitched howls coming from where they’re posted as sentries. He and Holmes are up and outside the _Fancy_ in an instant, meeting each others eyes in the water. The pod is already alert, most of his pod-mates have gathered up weapons, baring teeth and claws.

He calls out to Quint, Harley, and jerks his head over towards the distress call. He grinds his teeth together as he and Holmes follow behind Quint and Harley, their cutlasses already drawn.

By the time they get to the Northern border, everything is quiet, too quiet. There’s no fish darting around, no crabs scuttling against the rocks jutting out of the shallow pools. The Northern border sits just a few miles off the shore of an island, that Ned doesn’t like to think about exploring. The island is under Colonial rule, and Ned has seen British soldiers there countless of times. Ned shifts nervously, his throat dry. The surface of the water is bright, undisturbed, whatever caused his pod-mates to let out a distress call is gone.

Something changes in the water behind them, and Holmes is the first to spin around, raising his cutlass only to pause. Kinsey has his arm tucked under Nottley’s armpits, holding him up. Nottley is bleeding from his side, looking pale and weak, his own arm slung around Kinsey’s shoulders. In Kinsey’s other hand is a harpoon, viciously sharp and barbed.

“What happened?” Ned barks, eyes narrowing on the offending piece of metal in Kinsey’s hand.

“Those fuckers,” Kinsey nods over towards the island. “I think some of them spotted Nottley in the water while rowing into the island. We thought they just, guessed he was normal or something because they didn’t stop.” Kinsey frowns and looks down worriedly at Nottley  “They came back with four or five of these.” Kinsey gestures with the harpoon. “He dodged at the last minute.” Kinsey tightens his arm around Nottley and the boy groans.

“Quint, come on.” Quint is quick to move at the order, zipping around to take Nottley from Kinsey’s arm. Ned holds his hand out for the harpoon, curling his fingers around the metal shaft angrily when Kinsey passes it over to him.

Nottley’s blood is still on the sharp end on the harpoon. Ned squeezes his hand around the metal. “Take him back to the _Fancy_ and pull back the border. We’re not risking anymore lives to hold territory this close to them.” It’s not an easy decision, pulling back the North border cuts out a lot of their hunting grounds in the shallows. Ned shudders when he spots another harpoon a fair bit away from them. “Stay alert. We don’t know what they’re doing there.”

Quint and Kinsey haul Nottley between them as they swim back towards the _Fancy_ . Ned’s heart is in his throat, when Nottley whimpers between them. His stomach twists when he spots how pale Nottley really is once they’re back at the _Fancy_. Nottley is almost white, his wound a stark red against his skin, blood floating off his body.

“Clear the room.” Quint is shoving into the captain’s cabin first, barking orders out towards them. Ned moves willingly, shoving a mess of trinkets off of the cot next to Meeks. Kinsey lays Nottley down and holds his hand. The younger male is whimpering, his tentacles curl around the cot and squeeze. Quint applies pressure to the and the screech Nottley lets out is so deafening that Meeks shocks awake.

Holmes rushes to his mate’s side and grips onto Meeks when he tries to shift over to look at Nottley.

“Fuck happened Captain.” Ned brushes his hair out of his eyes, sighing. “Colonial fucks, tried to harpoon him. I’m pulling back the Northern border.”

“Everyone out! You’re stressing him.” Quint shoves at him and Harley towards the door. Their doctor narrows his eyes at them, the corner of his mouth turned down in a frown. “I won’t tell you twice, not even you Captain.”

“Holmes.” Ned nods towards his friend. Holmes straightens and ruffles Meek’s hair, and follows out of the Captain’s cabin. “We have to. You understand that right.” A feeling of uncertainty settles over Ned.

“You’ve always made the right choices for us.” Holmes drops his hand onto his shoulder and pulls him into a one armed hug. “Really Captain. You always have.” Ned swallows, trying to combat the dryness in his throat.

“No one goes out alone Holmes. No one.” If anyone gets caught out on their own, if he loses any of his pod to those men. Ned doesn’t know what he’ll do.

“Does that include you Captain?” Holmes meets his eyes.

Billy. He can’t go see Billy. He owes it to his pod not to leave them when they need him. It’s selfish, to still want to see Billy after something like this.

“I can’t go see him, it’d put all of us at risk.” Trying to get Billy’s attention now would come with dire risk to his pod and their livelihood.

 

* * *

 

Three weeks. Five more attacks.

Ned is stressed out of his mind. He’s pulled his borders further and further away from the North, cutting out a large portion of their hunting grounds, and in the process, he’s been forced to try and push his boundaries out west, into other merfolk territory.

Seven more of his pod is injured. Quint is up to his elbows in shit that the soldiers have been causing, and Ned is stressed. He’s so stressed that his hands shake when he picks up things. He hasn’t been able to eat, he’s hardly slept. And Billy keeps tugging at his chest to the point where it’s painful.

“Captain?” Meeks shakes him out of his stupor and he lifts his head from the desk he’s propped against. Meeks sounds nervous, is nervous, and Ned knows that something is wrong.

“What’s wrong?” He frowns when Meeks hesitates.

“Nothing is wrong. Really. You just, you need to eat. Take care of yourself.” Ned is paler than he should be. One can’t really tan under the sun when you’re far beneath the water, but his skin has a greyish tint that isn’t normal, even for their kind.

“I can’t. We don’t have enough.” Meeks frowns and smacks the back of his head. Ned scrunches his nose and glares weakly at him.

“You’re our Captain, we need you to be fit enough to lead. To _fight_.” Meeks stresses.  “If it comes down to that.” It’s what makes Meeks a good right hand man. He smacks Ned again, a little harder this time. “Eat.” He says sternly.

Ned groans and gets up from the chair, inclining his head in submission to his friend.

“Good.” Meeks pushes out past the galley of the Fancy where he’d been hiding (for some peace and quiet and from Meeks’ insistence that he eats), and drags Ned along behind him.

“We need to go to the hunting grounds, you’re going to eat your fill, and we are going as a group.” Meeks is firm, and when he lifts his head properly, he can see Kinsey and Harley are standing with their arms crossed over their chests. Behind them, four more of their pod, looking concerned towards him. “As a group. Eight of us.” Meeks drops a hand onto his shoulder and squeezes. “It’s a safe number Ned.”

Ned nods. There isn’t a point in fighting against Meeks now that he’s actually gotten their pod-mates to agree with him. He’s deceptively charming sometimes, despite his shy demeanour.

“Just let me get my cutlass.” Meeks lifts the (now offending) item and holds it out towards him. Meeks deadpans when he frowns.

“Like I’d let you sneak off and not eat.” Meeks props his hands on his hips. Sometimes Meeks feels more like a mother than he does a best friend. Ned half scoffs, half chuckles and pulls the belt over his shoulder.

“Let’s go.” Meek nods towards the others and then they’re swimming off towards one of the Western hunting grounds.

 


	5. Chapter 5

Feeding doesn’t go as planned.

Someone, something, somebody knows where they are. Someone knows Ned’s territory and someone has told the fucking British soldiers where his pod hunts. They’re ambushed by soldiers in boats, with pistols and harpoons. Set upon by trap upon trap of nets. Billy tugs at his chest, whether it’s a response to the amount of fear and anger he’s pushing through, or Billy is just missing him, he doesn’t know, but the tugging distracts him from the fight.

Ned is distracted, and Harley goes down first, taking the harpoon meant for him through his shoulder and a heavy net weighing him down in the water. He thrashes in the sand as Ned pulls at the net on top of him. The more Harley moves, the more hooks threaded into the strands of the netting drag into the skin and Ned’s hands.

Meeks sends out the first distress call. And Harley’s follows, high pitched and desperate as something cranks above surface and then Harley is being dragged away from Ned. Ned can barely hold on as the net and Harley are dragged out of the water. He can hear Harley’s screaming muffled from outside of the water.

“Scatter!” Staying together will get them caught faster. Kinsey darts around him, ducks as his eyes catch Harley above the surface.

“Captain!”

“Don’t! We can follow the ship later and find him. We can’t get caught!” Kinsey nods and darts away, out of reach of the harpoons. Ned is about to follow when he hears Meeks screech. His friend is trapped, a harpoon through his tail.

“No.” He barely gasps before he darts forward and curls his hands around the harpoon. Ripping it out of Meek’s tail would do more damage than good. Meeks meets his eyes and shakes his head. Ned tries to twist the chain connected to the harpoon. It’s not even rope, he can’t bite through it.

Meeks bites back a whimper visibly, when Ned hears a crank and Meeks is beginning to be pulled away. Ned clutches onto him until a net is thrown and Kinsey is whipping around to drag him away from his best friend. “No, no Meeks hold on!” Ned struggles against Kinsey, tail whipping angrily.

“Go!” Meeks yells. The rest of the pod has already scattered out of reach. Ned’s eyes flit helplessly between where Harley was suspended over water, and where Meeks is being dragged out of water. “ _GO!”_ Meeks’ yell echoes through the water and then Kinsey is dragging Ned away from them.

He watches, as Kinsey swims, a harpoon zips by their heads and cuts his cheek. Kinsey swims until they can’t see Meeks in the water anymore. Kinsey finally lets go of him when they're a bit of a distance away from the Fancy. He'll have bruises on his biceps, when he turns around to the _Fancy_ , most of the pod have weapons in hand or their teeth and claws bared.

Holmes is at the forefront of the pod, eyes searching as Ned, Kinsey and the others approached.

“Captain?” Holmes stops on Ned, eyes dropping to the cut on his cheek. “What happened?”

“Colonial fucks.” Kinsey speaks up from behind him. “They’ve been stalking our hunting grounds. We were barely there for less than five minutes.” Ned nods, trying to steady his breathing.

“Where’s Meeks?” Holmes lifts his head like he’s looking around Ned, like Meeks could be hidden behind his frame. “Ned.” Holmes swims closer. “Ned where’s Meeks.”

“They took him. Him and Harley, they took the both of them.” He squeezes his eyes shut when he hears Holmes inhale sharply. Silence fills the gap between them, and then Holmes is slamming into him, bowling him over into the ground. Sand kicks up around them, and Holmes bares his teeth.

“You let them take him!” Holmes practically screeches as he pins Ned down onto the sand. Holmes punches him once, twice, a third time in the stomach.

“No!” Ned gasps when Holmes presses his arm against his throat. “I didn’t want to leave him! He’s my friend Holmes.”

“They’re going to hurt him! Kill him!”

“I won’t let them! We’re going to get him back Holmes, I promise.” Ned’s free hand touches Holmes’s shoulder gently. Ned coughs beneath him, as Holmes presses more weight onto Ned’s throat. “I promise.” Ned repeats slowly.

Holmes relents and sags against him, dropping his head onto Ned’s shoulder to stifle a sob. “We have to get him back.” Ned wraps his arms around his best friend as he murmurs against him. “Please Ned I can’t, I can’t do this without him.”

“I know, I know I won’t let you down.” The rest of the pod has turned away out of respect, eyes cast towards the ground or in the opposite direction. “I promise we’ll get him back.” He repeats into Holmes’s ear. He hugs his best friend tighter, scratches his claws gently across his sides with a comforting squeeze. Holmes nods and chokes back another sob against him, and pulls away with tear-filled eyes.

“What are we going to do Captain?” Kinsey’s voice comes softly from behind them. The question drags the rest of the pods attention back to him. He pulls himself off of the ground and dusts himself off with an arm around Holmes. The pod has gathered around him. There’s so many of them, at least fifty merfolk that have come to join him and his pod, the little piece of paradise that he and Holmes decided to make for themselves.

“We can’t fight them as we are.” Ned begins softly. “They’re too strong, and with harpoons and nets, it’ll just become a game of cat and mice, and right now we’re the mice.” He looks out over the pod, feels Holmes grip onto him tightly. “We have to beat them at their own game. We _will_ beat them at their own game.” He takes a deep breath and tugs on the thread in his chest, pushes all his emotions through it as fast and as powerfully as he can. “We go to Nassau, as pirates.” It gets the pod’s attention quickly. “We gain friends, we gain a ship. And then we hunt down the bastards who took our fucking family!”

Holmes lets out a howl when he finishes. The sound carries out through the water, strong, mournful but it’s filled with strength. The pod begins to chitter in front of him, muttering and whispering between each other.

“We have to fight to survive.” Ned speaks again, and the crowd quietens down. “If anyone isn’t willing, I will understand.” A few of the pod look scared, nervous. “I won’t be here to protect you, or this territory, but we will never be safe until we find out who these people are.”

Holmes raises his hand. “I for one, am going with our Captain. For Meeks. And for all of our futures.” Kinsey raises his next to them. Quint is next, then Colt, Nottley and Kelton follow. One by one, hands are raised among the crowd.

“Get ready. We’ll be leaving for Nassau in an hour.”

 

* * *

 

 

Billy doesn’t know what’s happening. It had taken them two weeks to reach Nassau, like he thought, and he was constantly distracted by the barrage of feelings that swarmed his chest. The feelings weren’t his own. Stress, anxiety, fear, anger, _hunger_. His stomach panged and ached like he hadn’t eaten in days, even as he shoved food into his mouth.

It had to be Ned. Must have been. He’d been calling and calling Ned, tugging on that little thread in his chest that lets Ned know he misses him.

Ever since the island. He hasn’t seen Ned. Two weeks on board the Walrus, staring out at open water waiting for a familiar head to break through the surface. He was starting to worry. Another week passed and nothing happened. Sometimes, Ned tugs back, pulls back and sends reassurance and affection down the thread. But in the recent days all he had gotten was longing and pain.

And the terrible hunger that was plaguing him.

He didn’t understand what was happening, at all. And then while he’s walking with Ben towards the brothel (to go see Max and Idelle for lunch) and he gets slammed with a barrage of emotions. Anger, rage, bloodlust, and so much _fear_ that Billy has to double over from the nausea that slams into him.

“Something’s wrong.” He gasps as he doubles over. Ben is looking down at him worried, a hand touching his shoulder, concerned. “Ned, something’s happening with Ned.” Ben had entirely accepted that Ned was real, the marks left down Billy’s back were definitely not self-inflicted, and there was no such thing as lost whores on random islands.

“What is it?” Ben is crouching in front of him, trying to meet his eyes.

“He’s so scared. Ben he’s so scared.” Billy clutches at his chest as it aches. Ned’s emotions and feelings are overwhelming, making him dizzy as he tries to stand. “I have to help him Ben.”

“Woah there.” The shorter man grabs Billy when he’s about to move and steadies him. “You’re not going anywhere until you stop swaying like a damn tree in a storm.” Ben pulls him over to the side of the street and yanks a stool from a stall, shooting a charming smile at the trader before he sits Billy down.

“I can feel how scared he is Ben. He’s just, he’s angry and scared and I can feel it.” Billy breathes through his mouth.

“Calm down.” Ben grips Billy’s shoulder. “Let him know you’re here for him.” Another barrage of emotions slam into Billy’s chest. Pain, determination, the same anger only intensified. It feels like vengeance

 

* * *

 

Ned leads the pod towards Nassau, and the Southern Bay where he secrets them into the cave network of the cove he visits often. He pulls himself out of the water and painfully separates his tail, wiping the blood and seawater back into the cover and pats his chest dry with his shirt. He has enough clothes for he and Holmes to dress themselves. They strap their cutlasses to themselves and Ned picks up a pistol from the few crates he has stacked in the cave.

“Stay here. I’m going to go find us a ship, and some friends.” Ned shoots Kinsey and Quint smiles when they prop themselves up on the edge of the water.

“Be safe you two!” Quint calls out from behind them as Ned turns on his heel (in the boots he loves and hates, having feet is weird) and leaves the cave. It’s a bit of a trek towards town from the cave system, but Holmes is just as determined as he is once they reach the edge of civilization.

He experimentally tugs on the bond, pushes curiosity through the thread. The response is instantaneous. Billy tugs back, hard, and it makes Ned stumble slightly into a stranger. The man turns and spits at him, lifts his arm to swing at him. Before he can land a hit, Ned is lashing out with his fist, catching the man’s chin. The man stumbles back and spits blood.

Blood smells so much different when they’re on land. Ned’s chest heaves and the man lunges at him. Holmes is standing to the side, watching. He won’t interfere unless Ned signals him too. The man tries to strike, misses and Ned pounces, digging his claws into the underside of the man’s jaw and curls his fingers into a fist. It’s a punch and a slash all in one. Blood spurts from the man’s jaw and splatters onto his face and shirt (one of his only clean shirts, damn) and it coats and runs down his forearm.

“Ned?” Billy’s voice comes from behind him, and he spins around.Billy is standing there, looking slightly green (Ned feels bad for shoving all his emotions at him at once, it’s the only warning he could give Billy) before Ned steps closer. Billy looks surprised to see him with legs, really surprised.

“Uh. Hi.” He breaks out into a nervous smile. People have gathered around them. Ned can feel Holmes is ansty. “I uh, we, we need your help.” Billy’s expression changes, he stands to his full height and turns to face the crowd that’s formed.

“Alright, clear out people, nothing to see here.” Billy’s voice booms out over the crowd and they immediately disperse. Holmes falls into stance next to him, arms clasped behind his back. Billy turns his attention back to Ned, and then to Holmes.

“Not here.” The smaller man next to Billy tugs on Ned’s soulmate’s arm and Ned bares his teeth slightly. “Billy let’s head to the brothel.” It must be Ben, Billy’s best friend. Billy’s done his best to tell him about the man through their bond (although not much goes through other than some words and emotions).

Billy meets Ned’s eye, and the merman relaxes under his stare. Ned holds his hand out, one that isn’t covered in blood and Billy takes it. Billy takes them towards a brothel. Holmes is shooting him glances and sly smiles (even with Meeks missing Holmes has to tease him about Billy) and chuckling everytime Ned blushes when Billy smiles at him. Billy leads them up the stairs, only stopping when a dark haired and tanned woman stops him.

“Max, we’d like not to be disturbed please.” Billy holds out a pouch of coins towards her. She glances at him, and he feels like she’s staring into his soul. Holmes must sense his discomfort, because he drops a hand onto his shoulder and squeezes.

“Of course, _mon cher_.” The woman, Max, nods and jerks her head towards one of the rooms above them. Billy leads them over to it and opens the door. Ned is the first to enter, followed by Holmes, Ben, and then Billy himself.

“What’s going on Ned?” Billy rushes towards him and finally embraces him, uncaring of the blood that’s on his face and arm. Billy cages him against his chest and hugs him, and then Ned is filled with a calm warmth that settle sin his chest. Billy pulls away from him and meets his eyes, and then kisses him gently, chaste and soft.

Ned pulls away and blinks once, twice. “We’re being hunted.” Billy’s eyes widen, as does Ben’s. “The last three weeks, our hunting grounds have been ambushed, ransacked.” Ned frowns when Holmes shifts uncomfortable. “Today they took Meeks and Harley, my right hand man and-”

“And Harley’s just a boy.” Holmes finishes. Harley is, one of the younger pod-members, and Ned’s chest twists when he remembers Harley shouting and thrashing.

“Who?” Billy is still holding onto him, less desperate, but still clutching onto him tightly.

“Humans. Colonial fuckers.” Holmes answers for him.

“They harpooned Meeks and Harley, dragged them above water with nets.” Ned clenches his fist, feeling phantom metal between his palm and fingers. “We couldn’t stop them.”

“Wait, wait, why are you on Nassau then?” Ben speaks up from behind Billy.

“Because we can’t fight them like this!” Holmes snaps. “Sorry.” His best friend shrinks back. “Sorry Meeks is…” He trails off and shrugs.

“Meeks is his soulmate.” Ned reaches out for his best friend and wraps an arm around his shoulder. “We need help Billy. My pod needs help.” It hurts to admit it, even to someone like Billy.

“What do you need?” Billy pushes reassurance into the thread, and now that he’s so close, the feeling almost overwhelms him and tears prick at the corner of his eyes. “What can I do?”

“We need a ship.” Ned lifts his chin and takes a deep breath. “We need a ship and then we’re going to hunt down the bastard fuckers that took them.” Billy drops a hand onto his shoulder and pulls him into a hug. Ned presses his head against Billy’s chest, basking slightly in the affection and breathing in Billy’s scent..

“I think I can help.”

That’s how Ned and Holmes come face to face with Captain Flint of the _Walrus_.

“Who the fuck is this?” Captain Flint is certainly polite. Ned bares his teeth when the Captain turns towards Billy. “Why did you get them an audience with me?”

“Because they need it.” Billy hasn’t mentioned that they’re soulmates yet. Flint and Billy argue in front of them, a couple of strides away in what Ned thinks is trying to be hushed whispers.

“Cap.” Holmes whispers and nudges him. The whisper doesn’t escape Flint’s notice.

“Oh so you’re a Captain?” Ned purses his lips and sighs.

He holds his hand out, now free of blood, thanks to Billy. “Captain Ned Low. Used to captain the _Fancy_ before I lost her.” Flint takes his hand warily and tilts his head.

“The _Fancy_ sunk almost twenty years ago.” The first _Fancy_ did, the one Ned and his pod lived in. Flint narrows his eyes but doesn’t add anything when Ned chuckles.

“More than one _Fancy_ around sir.” Ned can be charming when he wants to be. “We lost her last month, been looking for a new ship ever since.” He can play the part of captain, he’s done it well over the past hundred years. “This is my quartermaster, Holmes.” Really, Holmes would be his first-mate and Meeks would be his quartermaster (god he misses Meeks).

“Just Holmes?” Flint queries. Ned really needs to give Holmes a fake first name, if the man actually has one, he doesn’t know what it is. Flint looks intrigued and Ned can’t blame him.

“Just Holmes.” Holmes grins sharply, his teeth slightly bared. He elbows his best friend subtly and keeps his attention on Captain Flint.

“So why does Billy think that you’re worth my time.”

“Bastards kidnapped two of our crew.” He’s going to owe Holmes so much for taking the reins. “We need help tracking them down. Captain of mine,” Holmes glances over to Billy. “Said that Billy might be able to help us.” When did Holmes get so good at lying? Ned nods when Flint looks over to him for confirmation. “Get a ship, and some allies.”

Surprisingly, Flint doesn’t look too put off by the information revealed. Ned glances at Billy, who pushes another bout of reassurance into his chest.

“What do you need?” Flint asks. “Specifically.”

“Brigantine.” Ned says firmly. “I’ve got at least forty men and that’s not including Holmes and I.” Flint’s eyes widen and he nods. “And, we need to know exactly who they were and how they knew where to find us.”

“And who did you say it was that attacked you?”

“The fuckin’ British Navy, those fuckers” Holmes spits. Flint’s face twists and Ned has to stomp on the toe of Holmes’s boot. Ned’s neck fins twitch when Flint’s face darkens and he has to drop his gaze to stop them from flaring.

“We’ll help you.” Flint says abruptly. “And I’ll have John look into the men you’re looking for, but for now. Get your men settled.” Flint rolls up one of the maps that he had splayed out in front of him. “The brothel is under our protection, but if there’s not enough room, seek out the tents along the shore, ask for Charles Vane, he’ll be able to house some, if not all of your crew. Tell him that Flint sent you.” Flint leaves the room in a whirlwind with John, the _Walrus’_ quartermaster following behind him.

“See, told you I could help.” Billy smiles at him and for the first time in three weeks, Ned finally relaxes some.

“Now we just have to find clothes for forty one mers.” Holmes grumbles. Ned sighs. They still have a lot of work to do.

“I think I can help with that too.” It’s official, Ned has fallen in love with an angel.

Billy produces enough coin to secure two chests full of clothing, in approximate sizes that Holmes and Ned had to guess. A few pod-mates were going to end up with clothes that didn’t fit right, but it was better than running around naked after splitting their tails.

Billy and Ben, who Ned finds out isn’t all too bad, help them haul the chests down into the cave network, where Quint, his goddamned doctor is sitting at the edge of the water, out of the fucking water with his squid half on display.

“Oh my god you idiot.” Ned is shoving him back into the water before Billy and Ben can actually have a good look at him.

“What? You’ve let him see your tail three times? You expect us to care about whether he sees us?” Quint grins up at him and Ned has to bite back the urge to slap his doctor.

“What if I was someone else you shite.” Ned sighs. “I got you fuckers clothes, and we might have a ship and somewhere to stay for now.” He’s slightly stressed again, they’re on an island full of humans and the entirety of his pod is on said island and they happen to _lack self-preservation._ Half the pod cheers while Quint pulls himself back out of the water. Behind him and Holmes, Billy and Ben are staring in awe at the merfolk gathered in the pools of water.

There were so many different species that he’d barely recognized. Billy grimaces when Quint begins to split his tail, legs forming and bones cracking during the transformation. Blood litters the rocks when he stands, and he wipes it back into the water.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve done that.” Quint stretches, shamelessly naked before walking over to the chests.

“Don’t you get all those fucking clothes wet you bastard.” Ned hisses when Quint stuffs a hand into a chest. Kelton is next, scuttling out of the pool and making Ben yelp in surprise.

“I’m sorry did you think we all had regular tails?” His tone is playful as he grins at Ben and then he splits his abdomen and groans when his bones shift. “Yeah that’s never any less painful.” Ned can’t help but agree, Kelton has it slightly worse, he has more bones to rearrange, and Ned hates watching him split into human legs.

Kinsey is up next, and Ned has to kneel down next to the water’s edge to help pull him up (he knelt in some blood and now his shirt and pants are bloodied, lovely), Kinsey avoids sticking him with some barbs and splits his tail. Colt flicks his tail and snaps his teeth playfully and splits his tail in the water before pulling himself up. Ned raises an eyebrow. Wonder why he didn’t do that, it seemed so much easier. Nottley’s tentacles wrap onto the rocks and pull him up as he waves towards Ben and Billy before his tentacles wrap together and melt into legs.

One by one his pod-mates gets out of the water and picks some clothes out of the chest to get dressed, soon the water has a red tinge to it, from the amount of blood Ned had to keep sweeping back into the water before the rocks stained and looked like a massacre. He’s going to need some new clothes honestly. The cave is filled with people on their feet, his neck fins fan slightly in admiration and he feels Billy take his hand.

“Let’s get your crew settled shall we?” Billy smiles down at him softly. If anyone points out that Ned leans into Billy while they walk back towards town, he’s going to vehemently deny that he looked like a love struck fool.

 

* * *

 

The brothel is in fact, too busy and lacking the space to house forty men. Billy leads them down towards the beach, where Flint said the tents would be. Billy stops by a couple, a red-haired woman and a man with a mullet and some interesting facial hair. Billy asks for Charles Vane.

“What do you need Billy?” The man leans forward, and then catches sight of Ned next to the taller man. “Oh, and who’s this?” He holds out his hand. “Captain Jack Rackham, also quartermaster to Charles Vane when I’m not off being captainy.”

“You mean you’re being captainy when you’re not being my quartermaster.” A man with a low voice interrupts before Ned can introduce himself. “Quartermaster first, captain second Jack. Charles Vane, this idiot’s Captain and soulmate.” Charles looks fondly over at Jack, it reminds Ned of the way Holmes and Meeks look at each other.

“Ned Low, used to captain the _Fancy_ till she sunk.” Ned offers out his hand towards Jack first and the man takes it. Then he reaches out towards Charles, who takes his hand just as warily as Flint did.

“I thought she sunk twenty years ago.” Charles meets his eyes and Ned spots a flash of recognition. “But of course, there can be other ships named that.” Charles adds before he can say anything.

“Rumour has it you’re looking for a place to stay.” Ned tenses and Charles notices before chuckling. “Max told us you had a large crew, forewarned by our large friend over here.” Charles nods towards Billy. “We’ve set up a few tents, people will have to share, but there’s enough space for all of you.”

“Thank you.” Ned offers, and when Charles inclines his head slightly, he relaxes.

Charles nods his head towards a row of tents. “Your crew’s new home for the time being.”

Ned turns towards his pod and nods to them. They split off into groups immediately, like they had back down with the _Fancy_ and Ned feels some relief  flood his chest. Billy squeezed his hand again reassuringly.

“Now, if we’re speaking Captain to Captain.” Charles begins walking and Ned takes it as a cue to follow him, Holmes just a step behind him. Billy doesn’t come with him, and neither does Ben, but they seem okay with letting him and Holmes follow Charles. Once they’re distance away from Billy and Ben, Charles slows down just slightly until the three of them are walking along the beach next to each other.

“Why would merfolk be on Nassau?” Charles asks slowly, eyes scanning both Ned and Holmes’s faces. Ned’s neck fins flare at that (giving away the game so damn early Ned), and he bares his teeth.

“Woah, calm down there.” Charles raises his hands in a mock surrender. “I’ve seen enough of you to recognize what you are. You’re Ned Low, right? You’re the merfolk that used to terrorize ships around Charlestown.”

Charlestown.

Ned shudders when he thinks of the place. He remembers walking through the streets and finding a shop that sold bones of merfolk, scales, sawed off fins and tails like they were prizes. It had taken all of his self control to not just burn the town down. The entirety of the town’s waters were filled with fishing nets, to catch merfolk.

They’d lost a fair few of the pod when he, Meeks and Holmes led an attack on the inbound ships.

“You know about us.” Ned knows he’s a part of the legends. He’d wandered around on two legs long enough to hear the stories be told to children to warn them off.

“Your kind talks about you, you know.” That’s not the answer that Ned expects.

“How did you run into… our kind?” Holmes is the first of them to ask the question.

“When I was younger, I used to hear this singing, and one night I wanted to figure out what it was, so I followed it down to the shore.” Charles seems lost in thought as he tells the story. “Saw this boy, he was just a boy, maybe, three years older than me, or at least he looked it, and he was trapped in this net with all these hooks digging into his skin.” Charles shrugs, looking down at the sand. “I asked him to tell me stories while I unhooked them from his skin.”

Ned’s stomach twists at the thought. He remembers those hooks digging into his hand, when they wrapped around Harley. Charles seems to know what he’s thinking when Ned meets his eyes. “That’s why your here.” He says lowly. “You’re being hunted.”

Ned frowns, and crosses his arms over his chest. “They took my best friend.” He snarls. “His soulmate.” He gestures towards Holmes. “I’m going to hunt them down and make them pay.”

Charles nods. “I understand that.”

Ned finds that he likes Charles Vane, even if the man exudes more danger than Ned is relatively comfortable with.

They walk back towards where Billy is waiting with Jack and the woman. Ben is no longer with them and when he shoots a glance towards Billy his soulmate mouths back something to him. Charles shakes his hand once more and Holmes claps a hand onto Ned’s shoulder and squeezes. His best friend ducks in for a hug and holds him, squeezes him slightly and then let’s go. Holmes heads back towards the tent and then Billy takes his hand again. Jack and the woman give them a courteous nod before disappearing into their own tent.

“Ben’s gone to catch up with Muldoon and Jacob.” Ned raises an eyebrow. “His soulmates.” Billy elaborates. “He wanted us to have some time together. Alone.”

Oh. _Alone_.

He’s finally alone with Billy, on land, with legs, with all the functioning parts of a human male that can let him _be with Billy_. He pushes his excitement through the thread and laughs when Billy has to lean down to press his lips to his. He’s so much shorter than Billy like this, so so much shorter, and he likes it. He has to stand up on tiptoes so that Billy doesn’t have to lean so far, and Billy’s hands settle on the small of his back to steady him.

Billy kisses him deeply, far from the chaste kiss that was given to him earlier. Billy’s fingers dig into the small of his back. Ned moans and slings his arms around Billy’s shoulders, hauling himself closer to the man.

“What do you say we find somewhere a little more private?” Billy takes them back to the brothel and pays for a room with a grin towards the woman from before, Max. Billy shuts the door by slamming Ned against it, pressing his body against Ned’s smaller one. Ned whines against him, when Billy digs his fingers into his skin under his shirt.

“Billy.” Ned gasps, and then Billy is sliding his hands over the curve of his ass and gripping his thighs. Billy lifts him without warning, and he wraps his legs tightly around his waist instantly, clinging onto Billy. Ned’s cock, which is beginning to get hard is trapped in the confines of his leather pants and the hard plane of Billy’s abdomen, when his soulmate lays him out onto the bed and brackets his body, grinding down against him.

Ned is smiling like a dope when Billy pulls away, both his eyes trained onto Billy’s face. Billy meets his eyes, and the rubs a gentle thumb over the scar under his eye.

“You’re beautiful.” Billy murmurs down at him, and then he’s leaning in to kiss him again. Ned ruts up against him, drags his claws down the length of Billy’s back through his shirt and throws his head back when Billy’s lips leave his own and begin to travel down the side of his jaw, and then his throat.

“Hngh,” Ned is distracted by Billy mouthing at the hollow of his throat. Billy is so warm, his mouth, his body. “Billy.” His hands scramble for purchase on Billy’s shoulders when the man pushes his shirt up his body. Billy’s hands are large and warm. Ned tugs onto Billy’s hair, short strands between his fingers, and then Billy is gripping both his wrists in one hand and deftly pins them over his head.

“You are, absolutely beautiful.” His neck fins flare and Billy looks smug. Ned can feel Billy pushing satisfaction through the thread. His soulmate leans down curiously and mouths at the webbing or his fins and Ned jolts off the bed against him. The sensation is warm and shocking, making him writhe against Billy.

“Billy please.” He twists his wrists against Billy’s grip and heat curls in the pit of his stomach when he barely shakes Billy’s grip on him. Billy returns to mouthing at his throat, he tweaks his nipple between his fingers and Ned bucks beneath him. His legs find purchase on the edge of the bed and he pushes his hips up against Billy and ruts needily.

Billy pulls away only to strip out of his shirt, necklaces clacking against each other as the offending garment gets thrown across the room. Ned pants, hard and fumbles with his own shirt. He pulls it over his head, drops it onto the floor and starts fiddling with his boots while Billy is stripping out of his own.

Billy produces a vial of oil from the drawers next to the bed, and rejoins Ned on the bed, who’s still shoving his trousers slowly down his legs.

“Hey?” Billy comes up behind him and wraps an arm around him, large hand splaying onto his chest. “Are you alright?” Ned nods and leans his head back against Billy’s shoulder.

Ned hums, running his fingers over his own thighs. He turns his head to look at Billy nervously. “It’s been a long time, since I’ve done this with… legs.” Billy cups his cheek gently and tips his head back to kiss at the spot under his jaw.

“We can take this slow.” Billy offers, nudging his nose against the underside of Ned’s jaw. Ned chuckles and shakes his head. He shifts on the bed, getting onto his knees and pulling himself into Billy’s lap, settling down, albeit shakily, straddling Billy’s thighs.

“Let me.” Ned leans and kisses the tip of Billy’s nose, and then his lips. “Like this.” Billy’s hands slide down Ned’s back and Ned arches into the touch. “Please darling.”

Billy runs his hands over the curve or Ned’s ass, grinning when Ned rolls his hips in response. He spreads Ned’s ass and pets over his hole with the pad of his fingertips, taking in the soft gasps that escape Ned’s mouth. Billy slicks his fingers and hesitantly presses the first knuckle of his index into Ned. Ned shifts in his lap and tilts his hips back while dragging Billy into a kiss.

Ned is tight, tight and hot on the inside and it makes Billy gasp when he works his fingers in to Ned slowly. His soulmate whines above him while he pushes his fingers in and out of him. Ned ruts, slowly, forward against the planes of Billy’s abs and then back onto the fingers. Ned has his head dropped onto his shoulder, mouthing and leaving marks onto Billy’s skin.

Ned reaches down to grasp at Billy’s cock, pressing the head of his cock against his hole, gasping when the head catches on the rim of his hole. “Billy love.” Billy shushes him and kisses the underside of his jaw and reaches town to wrap a hand down around Ned’s. Billy guides himself into him.

They both gasp, Ned from the stretch and Billy from the heat that envelops from his cock. “Slowly.” Billy smiles against Ned, before he thrusts upwards experimentally and Ned yelps, back bowing. It’s been so long, for Ned, he hadn’t felt anything this intense in close to multiple decades. He clenches down around Billy, a keening whine escaping his lips.

“Ned.” Billy breathes when Ned begins to move, planting his hands onto Billy’s shoulders and pushing himself down onto Billy’s cock, sinking down onto the thick length stretching him. Ned settles into a slow rhythm, and Billy leans back to gaze at him with hungry and dark eyes.

Ned looks like a dream while fucking himself down onto Billy’s cock. Billy touches him, touches and touches and can’t get enough of how his hands look splayed on Ned’s hips and sides and chest. Ned is intoxicating, and Billy is intoxicated by the noises that leave Ned’s parted lips. Ned’s eyes are hooded and his head is thrown back, blonde hair mused and strands sticking to his forehead.

“You’re so beautiful.” Billy pants, when Ned squeezes his thighs against Billy’s and rolls his hips. “So-” He groans, fingers digging into Ned’s hips. “Fucking gorgeous.” One of Billy’s hands touches Ned’s face, brushes over the scar on his cheek, feeling Ned’s eyelashes flutter against his hand.

Ned’s back arches when Billy thrusts to meet his hips. The room is filled with the sound of skin slapping against skin, Billy’s pants and Ned’s breathless moans. Ned moans Billy’s name, over and over, accent taking over his words and voice pitched. One particularly hard thrust from Billy, slots against that spot inside hin and sends Ned bowing over Billy, hands gripping onto his biceps.

Ned’s claws prick at his skin and draw blood. Billy lets out a guttural moan and digs his own blunt nails into the curve of Ned’s ass. He plants his feet onto the bed and tilts his hips to meet Ned’s thrusts.

They lose track of where each other ends and begins. Ned is lost in how deep he can feel Billy, the satisfaction, warmth, want that’s pulsing in his chest to accompany his own hunger and need. He’s lost in Billy’s tanned skin and blue eyes and short hair and he will happily stay lost if it means that he has Billy.

Billy sits himself up and curls his arms around Ned and holds him close, he buries his face into Ned’s shoulder and talks, talks and talks between pants and gasps and the words that come out are both filthy and beautiful. Billy praising him. Billy telling him how much he wants this. Billy whose hands are warm and splayed out on his skin.

Ned can feel the budding _love_ that resonates through the thread. He’s not sure which one of them it came from, but it has him cumming across Billy’s stomach with a gasp, and then he’s burying his teeth into Billy’s shoulder. Billy continues to thrust into him, gripping onto his back and scratching in tandem with the pants from Ned’s mouth, until Billy is spilling deep inside Ned.

Billy clutches onto them as they both pant. Ned’s chest is heaving, the taste of Billy’s blood in his mouth when he finally frees his teeth from Billy’s flesh. Billy’s blood tastes like blood, salty, metallic, like anyone else’s. Except when Ned swallows whatever is in his mouth it warms him, spreads a fire in his insides and he twitches, still holding onto Billy.

“Did you?” Billy murmurs into his hair behind his ear. “Did you bite me?”

“Force of habit.” Ned lets slip a tiny chuckle. “My first response to most things that overwhelm me.” He shifts a little in Billy’s lap and begins lapping at the bite on Billy’s shoulder, tongue soothing over the imprint of the bite. Ned’s fingers catch any of the blood dripping down Billy’s back, swiping at the droplets and bringing them to his mouth.

“I’ve missed you.” Billy whispers against him, and Ned pulls away from him, his hands planted on Billy’s shoulders. Billy looks at him with bright eyes, a lazy smile on his face, and Ned is so happy.

“I’ve missed you too, love.” Ned tacks on the endearment as a second thought, before he kisses Billy again. “Could feel you calling.” He murmurs against Billy’s lips. “Wanted to come every time but I couldn’t.” He moves his hands from Billy’s shoulders into Billy’s short hair.

“I’m sorry.” Billy says into his hair. One of Billy’s large hands caresses the back of his head, scratches against his scalp and plays with his hair. “If I had known.” Ned shakes his head against Billy, shushing his soulmate.

“There still would’ve been nothing you could’ve done. My territory is my responsibility.” Ned says firmly, even when Billy nuzzles against the spot behind his ear, and pushes his hair out of the way to nip at it.

Billy folds against him, and Ned melts, relaxes into his hold as his soulmate leans back into the bed and carefully shuffles them both up until they’re in the middle of it. Billy tucks his hands under Ned’s pert ass and lifts him off of his cock, covering Ned’s mouth to take in the noise of discomfort. Billy settles Ned onto his chest and holds him.

Ned relaxes into the embrace, his head on Billy’s chest, ear pressed over his heart. Billy’s heartbeat and the warmth in his chest makes him drowsy. Billy runs his fingers along Ned’s spine. Ned is happy.

 

* * *

 

To say that Captain Flint has gone overboard would have been a complete, understatement. The ship before them is a massive, 44-gun brigantine and Ned is immediately in love with her. She’s absolutely beautiful. She's a burnt umber and golden and has pink accents that make Ned's smile glow! Ned was beaming once Flint had brought them aboard the _Pink Rose_. Ned ran his hands over the wood of her steering wheel, feeling pride swell in his chest.

He almost hugged Flint, when the Captain had held his hand out. Billy seems surprised, to see him so excited about the ship. Ned is off exploring the minute Flint’s attention is no longer on him. He dives headfirst into the Captain’s cabin, rummages through all of the space and finds that it’s perfect for him. The Captain’s desk is sturdy and when Ned drags his claws across it, the polished wood barely gives against the drag of his claws.

He can hear his pod pattering around the ship outside. All of them had fallen victim to one of his rants about ships before, back when they were with the _Fancy_. There’s a pang in Ned’s chest when he thinks about his ship (it’s his ship, no matter who it belonged too when it sunk) and he misses her something fierce.

“Now.” Holmes’s voice comes from the door to the cabin and he turns to meet his best friend’s eyes. “We find Meeks and Harley, and destroy those bastards.”

“Aye we will.” Ned nods and then Holmes is leaning his arm against the doorway.

“Are they coming with us?” They, as in Flint and his crew. As in Billy.

“Wouldn’t hurt to have backup.” It wouldn’t, but even if he didn’t need backup. Flint’s reaction towards the news that the British Navy were a part of the bastards that took their pod-mates makes Ned think it’s something personal to the Captain. “Besides, I cannae think that Flint’ll like bein’ left out of this.” He taps the heel of his boot against the flooring of the deck. "Not after this beauty's been given tae us." 

Holmes starts to protest, and then he pauses, looking at Ned curiously.

“Your accent’s slipping back.” He comments, tilting his head towards Ned. Ned flushes and ducks his head. He’d masked his very recognizable Irish accent with an English one, mimicking a mer from London they’d met in passing, but with the stress of everything, he was starting to forgo the effort of straining his voice to sound normal. “Would it be because a certain tall, blond and handsome bosun fucked you within an inch of your life?”

“Oh shut yer mouth.” He yells at Holmes. He’s pouting again like a petulant child, when Holmes laughs. He stalks over towards Holmes and pokes him in the chest. “Shut it. No one except that friend of his knows about us.” Because Billy hadn’t mentioned it to anyone else apart from Ben. Ned feels slightly embarrassed when Billy tells him, because the entirety of his pod knows just how far gone he is for the human.

“Well maybe ye should just tell’em.” Holmes mocks his accent and he playfully shoves his friend.

“That’s up to Billy, not me. Besides it’d be a right fuck up if we got caught as you know.” He drops his voice. “Fuckin’ merfolk wouldn’t it?” He hisses at Holmes.

“You’re paranoid Captain.” Holmes claps an arm around his shoulder and drags him out onto the deck again. Flint and his crew (and Billy, he’s in love with Billy god) are still standing there, looking like they’re waiting for Ned to say something.

“Well it seems that Billy has convinced the crew that once we find out who’s taken your friends, we’re going to join you.” Flint surprises him, and when the Captain looks pointedly at Billy, Ned notices that his face softens with something akin to paternal affection. “As will Captain Vane and Captain Jack Rackham.” Charles and Jack too?

Ned steps over to Billy and lifts his head to meet Billy’s eyes. “Thank you.” His soulmate has already done so much for them and they’ve been apart for three of the four weeks they’ve technically known each other for.

“He’s make a good pod-elder don’t’cha think.” Holmes whispers into his ear when he steps back. Ned really wants to elbow his best friend in the side, but settles for stomping the heel of his boot onto the toe of Holmes’s, giggling behind a hand over his mouth when Holmes stifles a yell.

“Vane and Rackham want to meet again, to discuss possible plans of action, and then of course, when we have more information on who’s done this.” Flint interrupts, surprisingly not looking annoyed at Ned’s playfulness.

“Of course. I’m, incredibly thankful for this Captain, and I’m in your debt.” He may not like being in others’ debts, but Billy trusts Captain Flint, and the way Flint looks at Ned (it’s not really close to pity- more like pride) makes him settle just a little more into this alliance.

Flint inclines his head in a small nod, and then Ned is running his fingers along the edge of the rail, following the grain of the wood with Billy at his side. The discussions for plans continue on the deck of the _Pink Rose_ . Ned hasn’t felt this powerful on a ship this beautiful since he’d stepped on the deck of the _Fancy_.

 


	6. Chapter 6

It’s the fucker on Flint’s crew that stares at him like he’s a piece of meat that gets him agitated. Their crews are mingling, Ned’s pod, Flint’s crew, Vane’s and Rackham’s (they’re co-captains, two ships, two captains, Ned learns that Anne-Bonny takes over Rackham’s crew when he’s with Charles). Ned is around the fire with Billy, Flint, Charles, Jack and Anne and Holmes. He’s sandwiched between Holmes and Billy’s frames when he catches the man looking at him.

He’s short with glasses perched high on his nose, horrid round frames and a cracked lense. Ned hates him on sight. He catches the man’s name floating around the conversations, Dufresne, and he nudges Billy right when the man starts staring at him unblinkingly for the second time that night.

Billy doesn’t like it either and shifts to block his gaze. But his neck fins threaten to twitch and Ned really wants to pick a fight. Billy must feel it through the thread, because there is a warmth of reassurance pushing into his chest. The man’s look doesn’t leave his mind, but he relaxes against Billy all the same, and the both of them field questions from curious captains.

_ ‘When did you meet Billy?’, ‘How did you know you were soulmates?’, ‘Was there pining?’ _ All those questions and more on a similar line of questioning. It was Ned’s fault, accidentally letting it slip in front of the captains during a meeting. He’d reached for Billy’s hand and called him  _ love _ , the way he always had since their first time. 

Only to remember just a second too late that they weren’t in the privacy of a tent or room without an audience. They spend time together next to the fire, openly holding each other’s hands while discussing all aspects of soulmates with the other captains. Jack tells the story of how he reacted when Charles realized they were soulmates for the first time.

Ned feels safe around the fire, with Billy’s arm wrapped around him. As he’s tucked into his soulmate’s side. His free arm, the one not tucked on Billy’s knee is a constant on Holmes’ thigh, the man speaking softly and fondly about Meeks.

 

* * *

 

James can remember the first time he heard about soulmates. His father and mother were reading to him as a child. It’s his last memory of them, happy and together. James remembers wanting to grow old with someone he loves and being like them. Then his parents dies, Hennessy took him in, and he ends up with two sets of soulmarks, one on his shoulder, and the other on his wrist.

He’s glad for the long sleeves of the uniform, they cover the words across his wrist.  _ ‘Are you the liaison sent by the Admiralty?’ _ Only one person has ever said those words to him in his entire life, and James had said the most plain thing to him before.

Thomas has a matching set across his own wrist _‘Lord Thomas Hamilton?_ ’ He and Thomas would’ve been the hurricane that shook the world. And then Thomas was gone and Captain Flint was born.

Then he’d met John Silver. His soulmate (second soulmate) had lied to him, cheated him and stole from him, yet, Silver wormed his way into his damn heart and James was happy for the first time since Thomas was taken from him. Silvers words are across his shoulder and his words are on the nape of Silver’s neck.

Now, he sees his bosun going through the exact same motions as he did with the new Captain, Ned Low and he feels like a sappy old man while watching the two of them sit next to each other. Ned looks at Billy like he’s a treasure that he’s never seen before, showering him with pet names and soft caresses when he thinks no one is looking, and Billy looks at him like he’s hardly even real. Flint finds them adorable, like, two puppies he’s adopted that have made friends with each other.

He remembers looking at Thomas like that, and then, looking at John like that, catching himself longing after love and  _ normalcy _ . It’s a long shot, for a man like him. Times like these. 

But then he looks at Billy with Ned, and then he has some hope.

Hope he can have that normalcy again.

 

* * *

 

Ned gets an unexpected visit. A week into their stay at Nassau and Ned has finally made use of the tent Charles had given him, only to have his slightly tipsy haze interrupted by the fucker that was staring at him from around the fire.

“Dufresne right?” Ned drawls. His pistol is closer to his feet than it is to his hands, he notes. His cutlass is strewn on his bedding with his belt and his shirt. The bottle of rum is cool in his hands as Dufresne raises an eyebrow in his direction.

He takes a drink out of the bottle, uncaring as rum dribbles down his chin and onto his bare chest.

“Fuck do ye want?” Ned presses his tongue flat against the opening of the rum bottle and savours the taste on that one spot on his tongue while Dufresne seems to have lost his. “Is there any reason you’ve decided to make yerself a fuckin’ disturbance.”

“What are you?” The man blurts out. Dufresne is nervous, and reasonably so. “How did you bewitch Billy?” Ned is utterly unimpressed. Irritated.

“I’ve done nothing of the sort boy.” He lazily flicks his tongue against the rim of the bottle before taking a long gulp from it. Dufresne’s fingers are twitching nervously, Ned notes. 

Ned raises an eyebrow, and drops a quick glance to his pistol. Dufresne doesn’t miss the move, and then he’s lunging forward with a knife drawn quickly. Ned didn’t even notice the tiny thing until it glinted in the firelight. The knife catches his shoulder, digs into his flesh and drags across, his reaction time just the slightest bit slower than he’d like, but then he’s grappling the smaller man and tossing him towards the slit of the tent.

Ned snatches up his pistol from the bedding and shoves him out, snarling at him with his teeth bared. His shoulder stings something ungodly, and whatever foul smell that’s starting to itch at his nose can’t be good. But he’s also cursing up a storm and threatening Dufresne for even touching him when a crowd gathers around them. Flint’s crew is among the crowd, he can see Billy standing next to John and Flint himself, the Captain’s hand is pressed against Billy’s chest, holding him back.

Anger is pulsing through his veins. Agitation. Annoyance. Irritation.

“How fucking dare ye?” He hisses loudly. He knows that he’s tense, the fins on his neck want to flare and the only thing that’s stopping him now from ripping into Dufresne is that everyone around him looks terrified. “How fucking dare ye be so cowardly!” It’s not a question, but a spat insult.

Ned sounds ungodly, even to himself. His voice has dropped an octave in anger and his London accent is completely abandoned. “Coming in the middle of the night like a fuckin’ child, with a knife.” He crows loudly when the crowds attention turns on Dufresne, especially the tiny knife in his hands with Ned’s blood on it.

Something is running through his veins, it burns, not as badly as the anger in Ned’s chest and behind his eyes, but it’s distractedly irritating. Enough that he doesn’t actually see Dufresne shift in the sand to lunge at him again. A pistol-shot goes off, and it’s not from the pistol in Ned’s hand. 

John Silver is standing with his own pistol outstretched, eyes sharp, his mouth set into a very displeased thin line. Ned is slightly, mostly, very disappointed that he didn’t get to end the man’s life himself. Then he sways in the sand, frowns, focuses his eyes onto his best friend who’s rushing towards him before anyone can move.

Holmes grasps him when he stumbles. His shoulder burns when he tries to move it and he hisses when Holmes touches the wound. “Ned you gotta tell me what you’re feeling.” Holmes pats his cheek with his fingertips, his other hand pressing his fingers into the wound testing how deep it is.

“Christ that burns.” He gasps, digging his claws into Holmes’ shoulder. “Can ye get yer fingers outta me, that's not yer job.” Holmes withdraws his prying fingers from the wound. Billy rushes over to him and drops to his knees as Holmes layers him down. His shoulder is twitching, Ned can feel it among the bleeding and burning.

“Quint!” The way Holmes screeches their doctor’s name makes Ned flinch. Quint pushes his way to the front of the crowd and drops to his knees next to Ned’s shoulder, spreading the wound with his fingers and swiping at the black goo that’s begun to seep from it and sniffing it. He grimaces and wipes it against the sand with a frown. 

“Hate to say it Cap but he got you with some stinger venom.” Quint frowns, before turning to someone that’s hovering behind him, it has to be Kelton, Ned thinks when he catches sight of a head of dark hair. “Gonna need to soak it out, can you stand?” Ned lifts his head and pushes himself up with his good arm, nodding when Billy slides an arm around his back.

“Is he alright?” Flint steps forward from the crowd.

“That blade your man had, was coated in venom. We know how to deal with it.” Holmes stands and crosses his arm. His best friend is shorter than Flint by about an inch, but the way he stands in front of the Captain makes Ned proud. “But there’s the question of why the fuck one of your men just tried to kill my Captain.” 

“He’s been staring at Ned all week.” Billy adds. Ned reaches out and touches Billy’s chin when his soulmate helps him stand. “Ned pointed it out.”

“Dufresne isn't a fan of most of my decisions.” Flint admits, looking down at Ned in the sand. “He's overstepped before but nothing this serious.”

“Fucker got what he deserved.” Ned laughs through gritted teeth when Quint runs a rag over the gash. “Billy, Billy, Billy, do you know how pretty you are?” Ned forces a smile when he sees concern on Billy’s face. “Don't worry about me love, Quint’s great at fixing me up, so I'll be back to loving on you in no time.”

Billy blushes and leans in to peck his forehead. Ned caresses his cheek gently and holds onto him when he tries to pull away.

“Now Cap while we love that you've finally met your soulmate and that you're very much into him.” Quint presses the cloth into the wound again, this time it's soaked in water. “We gotta get you off this sand. Billy?”

Billy nods and slides an arm around Ned's back and under his knees, lifting with little effort. “Billy.” Ned coos at his soul mate and nuzzles into his throat, kissing at the spot under his jaw.

“Is he okay?” Billy asks softly, bringing Ned into the tent. “He's uh…”

“Yeah he's, weirdly affectionate when he's injured. Always.” Holmes shudders somewhat like he's remembering something and Ned pouts.

“I thought ye liked me affections.” Ned says, petulant. Holmes snickers behind his hand when Billy strokes Ned's hair out of his eyes and smiles down at him

“Hey there love.” Ned smiles back up at Billy, the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly. “You're taking care of me?” Billy’s hands have taken over pressing the wet cloth into the wound. 

“Yeah. Quint says it's okay.” His doctor has been surprisingly quiet, working with whatever Kelton had brought him. Quint comes into view, carrying a needle that looks three sizes too big from the vial that it's attached too.

“Billy I need you to hold him still.” Quint doesn't even look at him. Ned frowns, shifting in the sand.

“Quint, I swear on ye life if that thing comes any closer to me-” Holmes clamps at hand over his mouth, muffling his protests, and Billy holds his arms gently. 

The needle fucking hurts, pushing into the muscle around the wound where Quint jabs it in. He yells from behind Holmes hand as it squeezes over his mouth. He's sure that he's bitten into Holmes’ palm as his best friend withdraws his hand while Quint pulls out the needle. 

“Bloody gentle touch ye got there, fuck was in that?” The burning is slowly subsiding, he can still pick up the foul scent coming from his shoulder but it's lessened. “Quint?” He tries to lift his head at his doctor. 

“Anti-venom.” Quint says nonchalantly. 

The three of them pause to look at him, eyes flicking between each other. 

“What? I'm a doctor I'm supposed to know these things!” Quint insists. Ned smiles and reaches out with his free hand and gestures for him to come closer. “Oh now. I know exactly what you're planning to do.” Quint has known him for a long time and stays far away from him, hovering around the slit in the tent. 

Ned grins. “I thought you'd never learn.” Billy’s hand is soft, wiping down his shoulder with a clean cloth. “Oh hey love.” Ned reaches up to kiss the underside of Billy’s jaw while he works. 

Billy settles into the bedding and rests Ned’s head in his lap, rubbing a thumb gently over his forehead. Ned hisses when he drags the cloth across his wound, distracted by Ned’s fingers on his face. 

“Sorry.” 

Ned makes a small noise, waving his free hand. “Don't worry  _ love _ .” Ned smiles sweetly at him and turns his head to bump his nose against Billy’s thigh. Billy traces his scar and Ned lets his eyes flutter shut, resting his head against Billy lap. “I don’t take too long to heal.” Usually, in the water, any scratches or gashes heal in days, leaving smooth skin behind, with the right treatment of course. He has a fair few scars from not taking care of himself properly, the one across his eye included.

The wet cloth that Billy continues to use to clean the gash on his shoulder helps. The bucket is filled with seawater, not that anyone other than Ned, his pod-mates and Billy would notice. Billy soaks the wound and wipes at it carefully and kisses his forehead.

“Everything is gonna be alright.” Billy promises him soothingly.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> looksies don't mind this very short chapter,  
> I just couldn't write the part that was supposed to end this chapter so I've just cut it out (it was coming out shite honestly)  
> So Chapter 8 will either be the second last or last chapter (and it'll be long. I promise)

It’s not that he means to let their secret slip. His entire lifetime he’d been so careful. Don’t let the humans find him out, don’t let your fins flare or get your claws too sharp. And most certainly don’t let any human see your tail, he’s definitely broken that rule more than once. Two weeks in Nassau and he’s getting sloppy.

He doesn’t expect anyone else but him and Billy to be out at night, the both of them kissing in the water. Ned shed his humans legs almost immediately, when Billy asks him too. Billy gave him gentle eyes and soft touches.

They’re kissing as the waves roll in around them. He’s propped in Billy’s lap, the water coming up to their chests and Ned’s tail is curled around Billy in almost a cradle. He’s facing the ocean, facing Billy, with Billy’s hands on his cheeks, holding him close as their lips stay locked together.

It’s slow and languid and lazy and Ned wants every moment of it to last. Except they’re interrupted by the sound of laughter on the beach.

“Billy!” It’s John Silver, Ned’s mind supplies, and he pulls away from Billy, alert, concerned.

“Billy.” Ned hisses, pulling away from Billy, his scales shifting in the moonlight as he starts the painful process of splitting his tail back into his legs. Billy rises from the water to get in front of Ned to try and block their view.

It’s too late. They’ve been caught.

John Silver and Captain Flint are with the water splashing and rolling in around their knees, gaping like fishes as Ned’s tail splits into two and seems to melt into the form of legs. The water darkens slightly with blood and Ned (as much as he doesn’t want to admit it) hides behind Billy as he stands.

“Jesus Christ.” Escapes Flint’s mouth and Ned’s heart quickens in his chest.

“You.” Flint stares at him in awe. “You’re a.”

“Merfolk yes. Merman. Mermaid.” He waves his hand slightly while he drawls out quietly, Billy presses a hand on his shoulder and holds him. “Stuff of stories.” 

“Is that a problem?” Billy stands defensively in front of him.

“Problem?” John asks in disbelief. “Problem? Billy we  _ don’t care _ . So you’re soulmate is part fish-” 

“Shark, actually.” Ned corrects out of habit, only to look sheepish when Flint chuckles at him with a slight shake of his head.

“Okay, part-shark. But have you seen the way he looks at you, the way he treats you? His crew? He’s more human than half of the crews we’ve ever fought.” John has a way with words, Ned notices, as he’s managed to inch closer to Billy the entire time he’d been talking.

There’s warmth in his chest, and it takes him a while to realize that it’s not coming from Billy but it’s his own chest that’s swirling with happiness. John’s words make him blush behind Billy. 

* * *

 

The next morning, John has them disclose to the other captains (at least, to Jack and Charles) and to Max, about himself and the state of the pod. Billy is a supportive presence as he does so, standing at his shoulder. 

“Hold on you knew about this?” John asks in disbelief when Charles inclines his head.

“I’ve seen a few merfolk in my time.” Charles grins and wraps his arms around Ned’s shoulder. “I’m sure you’ve ran into a few without realizing it.” Ned lets the corner of his mouth turn up into a smile.

“There’s quite a few of us, we’re not very rare by any means.” Ned says nonchalantly. “You have been in the company of forty or so merfolk these past two weeks.” John’s jaw drops and Ned has to hide his smile behind his hand.  

“I just.” John throws his hands up over his head in disbelief, before he turns and presses his forehead onto Flint’s shoulder, exasperated. “Fine. Moving on.” He waves his hand in their direction.

  
  


* * *

 

One of the brothel girls interrupts one of their meetings being held in Max’s office, accompanied by Max (Ned thinks she’s delightful once he gets to know her), and a blond woman who stares at him like he’s a piece of dirt on her shoe from the end of her nose. Ned bristles, but then Max speaks calmly and introduces the blond, Eleanor Guthrie, to the table and claims that she has information on who hunted down Ned’s pod.

“His name is Woodes Roger and he hunts pirates and merfolk to torture, sell, keep as slaves.” Eleanor says, without a single ounce of interest in her voice. “He regularly stops on an island where he restocks, sells and determines whether or not his haul is good enough to keep.” She points at a small island on the map spread out between them. She stares at Ned with an expression he can’t read after. He really doesn’t like her.

Eleanor scoffs when he crosses his arms and doesn’t respond to her. She waits, like she’s expecting him to thank her. She reminds him of the pod-elders he’d spat a fuck you at. When he doesn’t respond, the corner of her mouth turns down and she stalks out of the room without another word.

“That information wouldn’t have been cheap.” Charles sighs when the woman leaves the room on her own, leaving Max behind to look at them, arms spread in a shrug. “Are we sure we can trust her?” Charles meets Max’s eyes, and there’s a small exchange between them that doesn’t go unnoticed by Ned.

“The information has been paid for.” Is all Max offers in response, her eyes firm as she stares at Charles.

“Who the fuck is Woodes Roger?” Ned hasn’t heard of him, and he’s heard of pretty much everyone who’s a threat to merfolk (it pays to keep an eye on humans). “I’ve never fuckin’ heard of him.” He scans the map in front of them.

“He’s a Governor who’s in debt.” Flint scowls from the other side of Max’s desk. “In a very very large debt.” 

“So he’s what, trading in merfolk to pay it off? Gain favours?” Holmes hisses next to him and Ned can’t help the anger that makes him curl his hand around the edge of the desk a little harder. Now that the Captains in the room were privy to the information Ned had been very very reluctant to give, they seemed to be more motivated in taking down Roger and his crew.

“So Rogers is at this island. We’ll need to see how his base of operations even looks like before we can consider launching a full scale attack.” Jack’s been doing most of the talking for Charles, while planted in his lap, overlooking the map. “Ned could you?”

“Two teams of four to scout the surrounding waters.” Ned offers reluctantly. “But none of them step foot on land, not unless they’re joined by your crews.” He adds, frowning. 

“That can be established, we can have two rowboats approaching from the east and south bays.” Flint nods. 

“Alright. Then we have a plan.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said 8 was supposed to be the last but, it was getting too heavy for one chapter. So I split it.  
> Chapter 9 will bring the end we all need.

Meeks doesn’t know what to think. Harley is chained up and so is he. They’ve been calling out for days, screeching and screaming and letting out distress calls. There were a few responses from inside where they were kept, but Meeks didn’t recognize a single one.

“Harley.” He turns his head to look over at the boy, chained onto the wall. Harley shifts and lifts his head to meet his eyes. “Harley tell me you’re still doing okay.” 

Harley’s skin has a greyish tone to it, green splotches of bruising covering his arms. Small cuts from the hooked netting littering his skin. Harley lifts blinks once, twice, and then rattles the chains. “I’m good Meeks.” He says hoarsely.

“Alright.” Meeks turns his attention towards the chains around his wrists. “Just gimme some time, and I’ll get us both out of here okay?” They’d been chained up in this cave for days, in some kind of underground system.

He and Harley had been dragged into the cave by the small pool that was at the far end of it, through grates and a metal hatch, still tied up in their nets. Meeks frowns and coughs, as he tries to shift again. 

“Ned’ll come for us.” Harley says. Harley’s been saying that ever since they’d been chained to the wall. “He has to.” 

Ned would. If Ned even knew where they even were.

When they’d been dragged out over the water and onto the deck of the boats, Meeks had been terrified. The soldiers that stared down at them looked amazed, and Meeks could see the greed in their eyes. Thinking about the money that he and Harley would earn them. 

He was terrified and disgusted. 

“He will.” Meeks doesn’t have much else to say. “Ned will.” 

Ned will come for them. There’s no such thing as leaving a pod-mate behind, not until you knew they were dead. His chest aches something horrid, and then it fills with desperation. Holmes is trying to help Ned find them. He knows.

Holmes, is thinking about it, about him, it’s what the desperation that floods into his chest means. He thinks about Holmes, has his voice in the back of his mind, has been thinking about him the minute they’ve been ripped away from each other.

He pushes back love through the bond, reassurance. He tries his best to tell Holmes that he’s okay. There’s a slight tug in his chest. And then another. Holmes pulls and passes longing back through the bond and Meeks returns it.

He clamps down on any tiredness he feels, any pain or discomfort. It wouldn’t be right to let Holmes know he was hurt. Just thinking about pain makes his tail throb. The wound has turned an ugly greenish black against the scales of his tail. 

“Meeks.” Harley whispers from beside him. “I’m scared.” He admits softly and Meeks frowns and rattles the chains, wanting to inch closer to comfort the kid.

“We’ll be fine okay.” He promises. “Ned’s gonna come get us and we can go back to the  _ Fancy  _ and Holmes and I can take care of you right. Be your parents like you want us too.” After Quint has a field day because of all their wounds.

God he misses his pod-mates so much. He misses Kelton and Quint, Colt and Nottley, Kinsey and Holmes and Ned. He misses his family.

He lets out another distress call, longer, with a higher pitch. The same unfamiliar calls answer him. There are other mers trapped all around them, awaiting the same unknown fate that he and Harley are going to receive.

He can’t fucking wait until Ned gets them out of here so he can get his hands on those bastard.

  
  


* * *

 

 

**1455**

 

Meeting Meeks almost two hundred years ago was a ride and a half. 

It was long before they’d become such a big pod. When he was about seventy, having known Holmes for almost twenty years.

He and Holmes were scavenging with the beginnings of their pod, all ten of them, in one of the numerous wreckage sites off the coast. They were attacked by real sharks, of the non-mer kind. It led to Meeks, with his bright yellow tail zipping past him.

Holmes practically chased after him, zipping past Ned in the water and grappling Meeks, the both of them crashing into the hull of the ship that they were searching. Meeks was howling, as loud as he could, no actual words but some ungodly screeching that had thrown Holmes off of him.

It caught Ned and Holmes off guard. Holmes wasn’t really a small merfolk by any means, but Meeks is a good four inches taller than him, wider, bulkier. Holmes stumbled back when Meeks started howling and Ned was ready to catch him. 

No one tried to approach Meeks. He’d plastered himself between the rocks and the wreckage of the hull, still howling like Holmes was gripping onto him. Ned approaches him eventually. After most of the pod had retreated away from the screeching mer.

“Hey.” Ned swam closer to him. Meeks froze at the sight of him, the howling stopping abruptly. Meeks’ eyes darted behind him, left and right. Ned recognized the movement and slowed to a stop. “Are you alright?” 

“Who are you?” Meeks doesn’t stammer or flinch. 

Ned grinned, and inched closer. “My name’s Edward, but my ma and da called me Ned. And the pod does too.” He gestured back towards Holmes, who was waiting patiently. 

“Who is he?” Meeks’ already lost interest in Ned, his eyes trained on Holmes. 

“That’s Holmes.” The corner of his mouth quirked up into a smile. “My best friend. First person I met on my own.” Meeks drifted forward, eyes still trained onto Holmes. “You wanna go meet him?” Ned offered. 

“He won’t hurt me, will he?” Meeks asked. 

“Nah, of course not.” Ned smiled. “Holmes just gets a little excited sometimes.” He held his hand out towards Meeks, head jerking back towards Holmes. “Promise, I’ll get him to back off if he gets a bit too excited.” 

“Can I come with you?” Meeks doesn’t look at him, he was still staring at Holmes, but it’s a clear that he’s already made up his mind. “To wherever you’re going?” 

Ned’s smile widened, and he nodded then Meeks grabbed his hand. “We’re just going anywhere. Yer free to join us.” 

It happened so long ago. The fact that he’d let Meeks down now, let Meeks get hurt eats at him.

 

* * *

 

**1715 - Island of Nassau**

 

Billy is laying underneath him in their bed. It’s the night before they’re to leave Nassau and Ned is listening to Billy’s heart with his ear pressed to his chest. Ned’s hand is splayed flat on Billy’s chest, next to his ear. 

“Billy.” Ned murmurs against the skin of Billy’s chest, his fingers trace the lines of Billy’s muscles. Billy’s fingers on his shoulder curl against him and then Billy shifts slightly, chin brushing against his hair. 

“Hmm. Need something?” He asks softly. Ned shakes his head against him. Ned traces the line of Billy’s sternum, and then lifts his head to look up at his soulmate.

“Do ye think they’re alive?” He’s been putting off this train of thought for days. Whether or not Meeks and Harley are still alive. If this Woodes Rogers guy hasn’t been hurting them or whether they’ve killed them for profit. It would destroy Holmes if Meeks was dead.

“They have to be.” Billy smooths a hand into his hair and tightens his grip on his shoulder. “Definitely.” Ned smiles half-heartedly against Billy and presses his face further against Billy’s bare chest.

“They’re my family Billy.” And Meeks and Harley have been his family for such a long time. Two hundred-ish years and he’s had Meeks and Holmes supporting his decisions as pod-elder. Just under two hundred with Harley acting like Meeks and Holmes’ kid, and acting like an irritating but loved nephew. They’re absolutely his family.

He can’t fathom what Holmes is feeling right now, with Meeks so far away from him, separated from him with almost a hundred and fifty years of being together between them. Holmes has held it together for him for so long, held back all of his emotions and frustrations so that he could be a better leader. A small amount of guilt wells up in him for not looking after Meeks well enough.

Holmes could potentially lose his soulmate because of him.

“Hey.” Billy presses his lips into his hair in a soft kiss. “I can feel that. You okay?”

“M’fine lovey, just, thinkin’ bout before, with Meeks ‘nd Holmes.” When their pod was barely big enough to look after themselves and they fought through disaster after disaster and did everything they could to make sure everyone with them survived.

“From what I’ve heard.” Billy says softly as he sits up slightly, propping his back against the headboard of the bed and pulling Ned closer against his chest. “Meeks sounds like he’s capable of takin’ care of that boy, and himself.” Billy rubs his shoulder and his other hand comes to thumb Ned’s chin, before tilting his face up to meet Billy’s eyes.

“It’s my fault. I wasn’t looking after them. I let Meeks get taken.” He frowns, pressing his face down into Billy’s chest.

“Don’t say that.” Billy chastises. “I doubt either of them would blame you for what happened. And I’m sure if I went and got Holmes right now, he’d tell you off for thinking like that.” If they weren’t lying down on the bed, Ned is sure that Billy would be crossing his arms right now and looking at him with his wide, soft, blue eyes.

Ned wiggles closer to him and tucks one of his legs between Billy’s pressing himself into Billy’s side. His chest aches something fierce, guilt building up in the pit of his stomach. “I just, Holmes trusted me to protect him, and then I got distracted and both him and Harley were taken.” Harley’s still just a kid. His eyes burn behind where they’re closed against Billy.

He hasn’t felt this much guilt in years. It floods into him from the pit of his stomach, works it’s way up into his chest and spills into his veins. “I’ve done a shite fucking job at protectin’ em.” 

A sob wracks unexpectedly at his shoulders, and he curls against Billy, tucking his head away as Billy cocoons him and rocks them both slightly.“Ned.” Billy’s voice is soft and sweet, and a hand cards gently through his hair. 

“I had to protect them and I failed.” He didn’t mean to fail it just happened. “We’ve had so many injuries the past month and I thought if we just kept running and closing our borders=” A sob interrupts his sentence. “T-thought we’d be left alone.” His tears slip out of the corners of his eyes, tracking slowly down his face.

“We wouldn’t have gotten attacked-” He scrubs at his face claws pricking at his cheeks. “If I didn’t need to eat.” He clenches a fist against Billy, the hand that was splayed on Billy’s chest now curled, knuckles white and clenched. “If I weren’t so fuckin’ weak and just said no when they insisted.” 

Blood drips from his clenched fists, over his fingers and onto Billy’s clenched chest. The smell of blood hits his nose and pushes him back. 

When Billy meets Ned’s eyes, they’re wide, pupils blown until there’s only a hint of blue left. His teeth are slightly sharper, and his claws are drawn. Ned’s neck fins twitch, flare, and then pull back again out of sight. Blood continues to drip slowly, it tracks down Billy’s chest as he moves to follow Ned.

“Ned, sweetheart.” Billy’s voice is steady and soft as he approaches him. Ned’s chest is heaving, he’s breathing heavily as Billy inches closer. Soft sobs leave Ned’s mouth, fall from Ned’s lips like a prayer. Ned slinks off the bed and sinks to his knees, hands curling into the blankets that they had piled onto the bed.

“I let them all down Billy.” His soulmate sobs into the blankets that he’s clutching. Billy shuffles closer, until his thigh is next to Ned’s hand. He cards a hand into Ned’s hair softly, gently pulls the strands until they’re not trapped between the blanket and Ned’s forehead.

“You haven’t let anyone down Ned.” Billy moves off the bed and kneels next to Ned, wrapping an arm around his back. Ned lets himself be maneuvered from the bed. Billy pulls his sobbing soulmate into his chest, cradling and holding him close. 

Ned’s sobs are incoherent now, pressed and muffled against Billy’s chest. Ned’s claws dig into his hips and the juncture of his thighs, where Ned has gripped to steady himself while he cries.

Billy’s heart aches when the guilt that Ned has been holding onto finally floods his chest. Any of it would have killed a normal man, it would have, should have. Billy is still unsure as to how Ned can feel emotions so deeply. The guilt is braided around anger, resentment, insecurity and worry and all of it knocks the wind out of Billy’s chest.

He takes deep breaths against Ned, eyes fluttering shut as he strokes Ned’s hair and back. His soulmate is sobbing even harder against him, words mostly muffled. Billy can tell that he’s begging now, pleading. Words slip out from against his skin,  _ please, sorry, so sorry, I tried.  _ He holds Ned closer as he begs for forgiveness.

“They’re still alive Ned.” He kisses the top of Ned’s head and begins to push reassurance into through the bond. “You’ve not let anyone down.” He pushes affection in right after. “You love them. You’re coming to save them.” He pushes love, the deepest ounce of love he has for Ned into the bond and kisses the top of Ned’s hair, inhales the smell of the sea, seaweed and salt. “I love you. And you’re a great captain.” 

It takes a few hours for Ned’s sobs to reduce and subside, until he can finally lift red rimmed eyes to meet Billy’s. Ned looks soft, vulnerable. Billy wraps him up in his arms, scoops him up so he can move them both onto the bed. Billy settles them both down and pulls the blanket over the both of them.

Ned shakes against him, shakes against the breeze that comes in through the window. “Sleep now sweetheart. I love you Ned Low.” Billy kisses his tear tracks, under his eyes, on the top of his cheeks, follows the trail down to his chin. His large palm cups one of Ned’s still damp cheeks, and he leans in to capture Ned’s lips in a chaste kiss.

“I love you.” He repeats softly, in a low voice that makes Ned tremble. “And we will get them back. I promise.” 

  
  


* * *

 

Holmes lays in his tent, on his back, facing the ceiling of his tent. His weapons are stacked on the table he’d been graciously granted. There’s a pitcher of water on it, as well as the map that Ned had handed to him to plot their scouting routes. 

He can’t stand to look at the map, the island that’s been circled over and over again, Meeks’ name scrawled across it.He’d been staring at it so hard that when he closes his eyes all he can see is the outline of the island in his head.

The bond in his chest is bare, not much being sent through from his end, and not much returned from Meek’s end. He’s hardly felt much, other than Meeks tugging on their bond and sending him love and assurances that he’s okay. 

The intervals are sporadic, random. Sometimes the bond goes dark and Meeks doesn’t send anything for hours, close to a day at a time, and then sometimes Meeks is pushing love through their bond every five minutes. It’s the only way he knows that Meeks is still alive.

He misses his soulmate so much that he can’t even bring himself to be angry. They’re on Nassau seeking the help of humans with his Captain’s soulmate, there’s so much on Nassau that gives him hope for the future, that anger has melted from his bones.

Any anger he’d felt earlier, when Ned had come back with the news that Meeks and Harley was gone, was born out of fear. When he’d heard the words he’d chilled right to the bone, if he lost Meeks, there was nothing left for him. His anger bled out of him when Ned had held him, even after he’d attacked him, and promised to bring Meeks back.

He misses Meeks so much. Wishes he could touch the side of his cheek and kiss the tip of his nose. He wants to chase Meeks and have to float above him to be able to reach his forehead. He wants to run around in the sand outside this tent with Meeks on Nassau and stand on his tiptoes to kiss Meeks under the moonlight. There’s so much he wants to do with Meeks.

He traces the words on his forearm slowly. Meeks’ words.

His soulmate’s words.

_ Promise me you’ll never hurt me, then I might give you a chance. _ Meeks had yelled at him at the top of his lungs, and for the first time in four years Meeks had actually spoken directly to him. Holmes had been bugging him for months, to accept a proposal, to accept a date, something from him. He didn’t care that Meeks had never spoken to him, he didn’t care that there was a possibility that he wasn’t his soulmate.

Everything about Meeks had just felt so right.

Meeks has horrific words scrawled across his forearm, the threat that Holmes had cursed at him out of surprise when he’d zipped out of the ship the day they’d met  _ Tell me why I shouldn’t just sink my teeth into you right now. _ Is marked into his skin permanently. 

The minute he found out Meeks was his soulmate he wanted to kick himself. Get right up onto shore and split his tail into two and kick himself for marring his soulmate with those words. Meeks deserved the world. There was so much that they both still wanted to do.

Holmes sighs and turns over, frowning into his bedding. “Meeks darling I miss you.” He mumbles into the bedding, arm curling around the pillow. He tugs at the bond experimentally, clenching his teeth when nothing returns. Meeks had to be okay. He wasn’t dead, Holmes could feel it. 

He wished he could say the same about Harley.

Poor kid. He thinks, weight on his shoulders sinking even lower. He’d tried so hard to keep Harley safe. Ever since the kid had joined their pod, he took to Meeks like a duckling imprinting onto their mother. Holmes loved having him around.

Now Meeks and Harley were both gone and Ned is trying to shoulder the weight of both their kidnappings on his shoulders and Holmes doesn’t know what to do.

The thought of Woodes Rogers terrifies him to the point where his bones feel utterly and completely cold. They’ve never heard of him, none of them had heard of him. No rumours, nothing. He’d spent hours questioning the crew after their meetings if anyone had heard anything from their patrols in the last damn decade.

Men like him are unknown to them, ergo, they’re unpredictable, they’re an enigma, a puzzle. It means that Holmes won’t know how to face the bastard that took his soulmate and his almost-kid until they’re face to face.

To Holmes, someone like Woodes Rogers, is a nightmare.

The humans didn’t offer much help by way of information. All they knew was that he was a Governor of sorts who had fallen into debt, such a deep debt that he was shamed, but he still had enough pieces of eight to fund an entire expedition in an attempt to hunt merfolk.

None of the talkative crew members he’d asked (bribed with a few pieces of gold) knew anything more. And the others, well they just didn’t talk. No one actually knew if he was successful or not.

Men like Woodes Rogers reminds him of Charlestown.

The first day he and Ned stepped foot into that horrid town under the guise of traders visiting for the first time. He could feel the dread settling into the base of his spine, like a foreboding feeling. They’d spent hours meeting some locals, trying to establish a trading relationship for the month they were supposed to linger around the ports, and then they’d found that shop. 

He’d seen tails and fins and scales and bones of their brothers and sisters out on display. After he’d peered into the shop window, he saw men and women, with their fancy wigs and clothes laughing and holding up scales like they were jewels, something to be bought. He felt Ned freeze next to him and the colour drained from both of their faces when they realized that it was all real.

It was horrible. He was so damn disgusted that he ended up throwing up in the alley behind the shop only to smell the sharp tang of blood that was still fresh.

The experience had left him so shaken that Ned had no hesitation in closing down the trade in Charlestown for good. He had no hesitation destroying any of the ships that were sailing into port. Ned had taken one look at how scared he was, and then Ned levelled an entire town to protect him. 

To protect all of them from humans, who were more monsters than they were.

Holmes stifles a sob that threatens to bubble out from his chest. Ned must be feeling like absolute crap now. Meeks and Harley are trapped somewhere where they could be tortured or murdered. Holmes squeezes the bedding between his fingers,before letting out a yell, his face pressed into the bedding.

The thought of Meeks ending up in a shop like the one in Charlestown flits into his mind, and then out as quickly as it came and he can’t help the next sob that pours out of him. He thrashes in the bedding, muffling his yells and sobs into the bedding. He wishes Meeks was here, wishes that he could just sink into Meeks’ arms and sob and feel Meeks next to him alive.

He reaches out across the bedding desperately, yelling again when finding it cold and empty and he finally lets his sobs out. Meeks is still so far away and the world isn’t fair like that, no matter how many times he pleads with her to just give him back.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Billy doesn’t entirely recognize the man that’s getting dressed in their room. Ned is moving swiftly, single-mindedly and determined as he pulls on his clothes and laces them up. They’re leaving in about an hour and any weakness that lingered in Ned’s shoulders as he straightens his back, is gone.

Ned meets his eyes and Billy can feel determination and resolve push through the bond, wordless reassurance from Ned as he holsters his pistol and his mouth sets into a thin line. Billy pulls on his own clothes just as fast, giving Ned a hopeful smile.

“We’ll find them. There’s no doubt.” Billy runs his hand down Ned’s back once they’re both fully dressed. Ned lingers with his face turned towards a mirror, looking at himself.

“Promise me ye won’t hate what I am love.” Ned says to him softly. Billy’s mouth parts, and Ned interrupts before he can say anything. “I will not give any of those bastards mercy.” Ned says firmly, a hint of a growl beneath his words. “I’m going tae rip them limb from limb and tear them to shreds.” 

Resolve pushes through the bond once more and Billy knows there is no changing Ned’s mind. “I won’t sweetheart. I love you.” Billy rubs his thumb over the small of Ned’s back gently and leans down to kiss him. “Now let’s go.” 

Ned meets Holmes on the sand, Billy lingering behind him as he approaches his best friend. Holmes meets his eyes and they both know. Know that last night their insecurities had finally taken hold. Holmes reaches an arm out towards him, fingers outstretched. Ned meets his eyes, and the corner of his lips quirks upwards. He clasps his hand onto Holmes forearm, fingers grazing right over Meeks’ words.

Holmes’ mouth mirrors his. Small smiles of determination graces both their lips. Holmes steps closer, as does Ned. Then they’re both hugging, clutching onto each other. 

“Let’s bring them home.” Homes rasps against his shoulder.

“Aye, let’s do that.” 

The _Pink Rose,_ _Ranger Walrus_ and _Colonial Dawn,_ captained by their respective Captains set out from Nassau at ten in the morning. The sun is already coming up high in the sky when Ned stands on deck with his pod manning the brigantine. She flows smoothly in the water, and keeps up with the _Walrus_ and the _Ranger_ just fine with the wind.

Holmes is next to him with an arm around his shoulders, watching the waves crash against the hulls of the  _ Ranger  _ and the  _ Walrus _ as they head towards their destination. The island is about a day and a half from them, by the time they arrive, they’ll be coming in past the south bay just after dusk.

Kinsey, Colt, and Kelton are sitting up on deck with him. They volunteered to scout with the other five His pod-mates are dangling their legs over the side of the ship, watching the water. In almost twenty four hours they’re going to be sneaking in past whatever defences Rogers has around his island.

Ned sighs, staring out across the water. There’s so much that could go right with this plan. And there’s so much that can go wrong. He remembers over how terrifying it was, to have harpoons shot at them, nets thrown over their bodies. He’s been in so many nets, knows the feeling of rope clinging to his skin. The image of Meeks and Harley being hauled up by the nets is stark in his mind.

They don’t even know that they’re coming for them. That he’s coming for them. The  _ Pink Rose  _ rocks in the water, waves crashing against her hull. Ned sighs from the deck, eyes trained on the horizon. 

“Capt’n.” Holmes speaks up from behind him. His best friend’s mouth is set in a slightly grim think line. “We have more volunteers.” More of his pod willing to go scout ahead once they get past the Southern Bay. “They want to go.” 

“We only need eight Holmes.” Ned can’t actually bring himself to turn around and meet Holmes’ eyes, it’s just that if he looks, he knows he’s going to see the questions in Holmes’ eyes. 

“I know Ned.” His voice is soft. “I don’t like sending them down there.”  Essentially sending them into dangerous waters. Essentially sending them to be captured. Murdered. Killed. Anything and Everything could happen to them. 

“Me neither, but you know that I don’t like what’s going on.” Ned crosses his arms over his chest. “I don’t want them, us, anywhere near him.” He frowns. “But we need to do this Holmes.” 

‘You know I’d’ve go in a heartbea-” 

“You shouldn’t.” Holmes interrupts.”You shouldn’t, and Meeks would have at you for even thinking about it.” Holmes steps closer to him and drops a hand onto Ned’s shoulder. “You have to understand Ned, it’s not your fault. You’re our leader, but you can’t always protect us, it’s not possible.”

“I still have to.” Ned protests. “It’s how it goes Holmes. You all put your trust in me, and I swore to protect all of you.” Ned stifles a sniff and turns to him. “We had that dumb traditional ceremony and everything. You remember that right?” 

Holmes presses his hand further against his shoulder. “You did what you had to do. You saved the rest of them. The rest of us.” He insists. “You’d be trapped. Kinsey would be trapped, we wouldn’t have any of this Ned. We’d all be caught if they’d caught you.” 

Holmes wraps an arm around him, and then pulls him into a side hug. “Ned you’ve done so much for us. You’ve looked afters. All of us.” Holmes gestures behind them to their pod-mates standing on deck.”Listen to me Ned. You did good. Or all of us.” 

“Fuck. We should’ve had this talk earlier.” Ned scrubs at his face with the back of his hand. “I worry for so long, that one day I’m not gon’ be able to protect ye, all of ye.” 

“You’ve done your best Ned. I swear.” Holmes presses the palm of his hand against Ned’s shoulder and squeezes it. 

Ned leans into Holmes, as his best friend squeezes his shoulder and holds him. Ned takes a deep breath against him, and then another. Holmes squeezes his shoulder again when his breath hitches.

“Meeks still okay?” He manages to ask, lifting his head to nudge his chin onto Holmes’ shoulder.

“Bond went silent just after we left Nassau.” Holmes’ mouth presses into a thin line. “I think maybe he’s just, not letting me feel if he’s in pain.” Holmes rocks back and forth on his heel before staring out at the horizon like Ned was. “He’s so strong Ned. I miss him so much.” 

“Hey we’ll get him back. You just gotta let him know we’re coming.” Ned curls his own fingers around Holmes shoulder, and they both turn to look over the deck. Ned’s gaze shifts to the  _ Ranger, Colonial Dawn  _ and the  _ Walrus _ . “Let him know all of us are coming.” 

Holmes pats his shoulder and his back, taking a deep breath of his own before pulling away from Ned. “Yeah. I will.” 

“Holmes?” His best friend pauses from where he’s sauntering down the steps.

“Yea?” 

“Meeks will be fine.” Ned calls out to him. 

“He’s tough. Tougher than me at any rate.” Holmes offers up with a grin. Ned smiles at that, clasping his hands behind his back and turning his attention away from Holmes’ retreating back. Holmes is right.

 

* * *

 

“No. Yer not going with the scouts.” Ned frowns, eyes narrowing at Quint. Their resident doctor is leaning on the table in the captain’s cabin, staring down at Ned. They’d been at sea for nine hours now, and the sun had set behind them. Quint pushed into the captains cabin with his arms crossed over his chest and his mouth set into a frown.

“They can use me!” Quint protests leaning closer in to stare at Ned. “If one of em gets hurt out there.”

“We need ye ‘ere!” Ned slams his palms onto the table. “Ye need to be here when we find Harley and Meeks. Ye fucking need to be ‘ere Quint. Yer the only one I trust to treat em.” 

“Holmes can take care of Meeks when they get on board, and you know damn well Kelton will look after Harley.” Quint shouts back. 

“No. That’s me final fucking decision Quint.” Ned clamps his hands onto the edge of the table, his eyebrows furrowing. “Yer staying on this fuckin’ ship.” Ned squeezes his eyes shut. “If anyone. Anyone. Gets hurt, they gotta come straight back ‘ere. To you.” 

“Ned you can’t actually be serious.” Quint stares at him in disbelief.

“I’m already riskin’ eight fucking lives out there Quint.” Quint flinches back as he raises his voice. “Eight! You wanna ask me if I’m I’m fuckin’ serious bout me ideas? Huh?” Ned’s are wide, his teeth slightly bared. “I’m riskin’ eight more lives of our damn family so I can get Meeks and Harley back. It’s my mistake. It was my fault they got caught in the first place.” 

“Ned it’s not-” Quint tries to interrupt.

“But it is Quint.” His voice quietens, it shakes a little, and he frowns. “It was my fault. We went to the feeding grounds for  _ me _ .” Ned breathes in shakily. “I can’t risk you too. It’s bad enough that Kinsey, Kelton and Colt are going. It’s.” He pauses, digging his claws into the grain of the wood, trying to breathe. “I’m already risking their lives, I can’t risk you too, not when you can help Meeks and Harley.”

“Ned you can’t put all of this on yourself.” Quint leans over and grabs onto Ned, his fingers curling around the nape of his neck. “It wasn’t your fault they got caught. You’ve been protecting us. You’ve been doing your best.” 

“It’s my duty. I have to bring them home. I promised.” 

“You will bring em home Ned. We all will.” Quint squeezes the back of his neck and Ned sighs. “I know you will.” 

 

* * *

 

They approach the Southern Bay in total silence and under the cover of darkness. Kinsey, Kelton and Colt are hanging out of the gun ports. Ned is staring overboard at his pod-mates, eyes trained on them as the  _ Pink Rose _ slows to a stop and weighs anchor about three miles out from shore. There’s the first splash of Kinsey dropping into the water. 

Ned, with his mer eyesight even with one blind eye, can see Kinsey’s wet head of hair pushing through the water, ducking under the waves. The rest of them follow, as the  _ Ranger _ and the  _ Walrus _ slow to stops next to the  _ Pink Rose _ . He watches them to disappear into the dark water. 

Flint and Billy are standing on the deck of the  _ Walrus _ , lifting a torch out towards them. A signal. When he looks over towards the  _ Ranger _ , Charles and Jack are standing on the deck, their own torch in Jack’s hand. Anne is standing at the head of the  _ Colonial Dawn _ , her torch in her hand. They’ve all weighed anchor as Ned’s pod-mates approach the island.

Holmes hands him a lit torch, how his best friend’s miles ahead of him, he really doesn’t know. He lifts the torch up, feels pride swell through the bond. Billy smiles at him from across the  _ Walrus’  _ deck, and waves towards him.

“We just have to wait okay.” Holmes pats his shoulder softly. “They’ll come back, and then we can push in.” The idea that Kinsey, Colt and Kelton are out there, cutting through the deep, getting so close to the island.

“If they get caught.” Holmes shakes his shoulder.

“They won’t Ned.” He frowns, taking in a deep breath. “They won’t. They’re strong, we all are Ned. You kept us this strong for years.” 

Two hours. That’s how long it takes for one of his pod to signal back towards him. Ned is ninety percent sure that Colt is the one that lit the fire on the shore. A feeling of pride pushes through him, and the four ships start deploying rowboats with men inside it. The first wave are on the rowboats have some of his pod, Charles, Flint and Jacks crew all rowing towards shore. 

Holmes is standing next to him, a hand on his shoulder. They’re watching the first rowboats move away from the ships. “We move with the second wave. Do you have what you need?” Holmes nods silently next to him.

Quint carries up a crate from the holdings, setting it down next to Holmes’ feet. 

“Is it enough?” Ned asks, eyes dropping to the small crate. “To do what we need to do.” 

“I can make it work.” The corner of Holmes’ lips quirk upwards into a smile. “I always have”

It’s the same smirk that Holmes gave him in Charlestown, before they set to levelling the entire town out of anger and fear. Before they killed everyome who tortured innocents. He can remember the scent of blood filling his nose, with the stench of Holmes’ vomit on the ground. He remembers peering into the window just after Holmes dead and seeing his people torn apart.

He’s going to rip Woodes Rogers and whoever else is with him to shreds and make them pay for hunting down his pod.

The time comes for the second wave to leave the ships. Ned is eagerly pushing himself over the side to drop into one of the rowboats. Holmes follows him, and then Quint is carefully lowering the crate of explosives down over the side with a rope. 

Anticipation buzzes under his skin, wild and unbridled. They’re going to fight them. The bastards that took his family. He pulls his sword from his belt, eyes narrowed on the shoreline. He hops out of the boat the minute they get to the shoreline, feet splashing into the water as he wades towards shore.

Holmes hops out after him, lugging the crate of explosives. They sneak in through the forest, where Kinsey, Colt and Kelton are waiting for them, their fire snuffed out by their feet. They have weapons in their hands, eyes sharp and inhuman in the moonlight. Ned steps past them, his own cutlass held out in front of him.

“Talk to me.” He turns his head towards Kinsey as they fall into step behind him. He and his pod-mates can hear shifting through the trees. When he glances to his right, he spots Charles and Jack creeping through the undergrowth, stepping carefully in the dirt.

“Small patrols half hourly, in groups of three to four. There’s a cave network that goes underground, but we didn’t dare go in.” Kinsey speaks up from next to him. Their eyes glint in the moonlight and Ned ducks under a branch that flicks back his way.

“Did you see where they could’ve been keeping Meeks and Harley?” They’re still pushing their way forward through the trees.

“Definitely down by the cave system.” Colt answers him. “Definitely. We could hear guards talking about it.” 

“So what are they going to do with them?” Holmes asks from next to him. None of them respond, and Ned turns to look at his pod-mates while walking. 

“What?” Ned stops abruptly, eyes meeting Kinsey’s.

“They’re going to harvest them.” Kelton says softly. “Something in their blood, our blood. Chemical properties.” Ned clenches his fists. The thought of the shop in Charlestown flits through his mind. He has to take a deep breath and steady himself. Holmes hand drops onto his shoulder, fingers curling into his jacket.

“We won’t let that happen.” Ned growls, spinning back around to where they were headed. “Let’s get a move on.” They reach the treeline in no time, eyes sharp and trained on the first patrol that moves past them. 

“Alright boys.” Ned mutters lowly. “Let’s get our family back.” He steps slowly forward, and then darts over towards one of the patrolmen and slits their throat easily enough. Kinsey steps out from in the trees after him, and then Holmes follows still carrying the crate of explosives. 

“Colt! Take Holmes down into that cave network! We’re going to destroy whatever and whoever is left on this fucking island.” His drops their bodies to the ground and jerks his head over towards the fires he can spot. “Kinsey, Kelton, come with me and let’s get a move on. We’re gonna slaughter all of them.”

They meet with Charles’ men, the Captain himself is standing with them, eyes trained onto the way their smiles look entirely inhuman, the way their eyes glint and their teeth look just the slightest bit sharper and more pointed. “Are you alright?” Charles asks lowly.

“We’re good.” Charles nods. 

“My men can’t find any of your crew at all. They’re not in any of the tent or houses.” Charles informs him. Charles reaches out and drops a hand onto his shoulder. It isn’t gentle, but Ned can feel the support in his grip. “They’re either hidden in the forest or down in the caves.” 

“I sent Holmes and Colt down to the caves.” Ned’s head turns towards it. “I’ll head down there myself. Take Kinsey and the others. If anyone’s hurt, can you get them back to the boats to Quint.” His pod-mates nod and move when Charles motions with his head toward some men from his own crew. 

“You get your crew out quick okay.” Charles pats his shoulder again and Ned smiles, pulling himself towards the cave entrance. He sends one last glance towards the pod and Charles’ crew, and pushes through the encampment towards the cave entrance. 

“Harley! Meeks!” He yells down towards the caves. The guards that come at him don’t stand a chance, not with his better eyesight and strength, and his teeth and claws just as much of a weapon as his cutlass is. He cuts into them, slitting their throats and slashing at their bellies, all while calling out for Meeks and Harley.

Blood splatters onto his shoulders and chest. A spray of it coats his face, splatters over his blind eye. He moves down the corridor. He spots Holmes just as he’s about to enter one of the side rooms, his first mate is still carrying the explosives, Colt following behind him with a pistol raised.

 Holmes nods to him, signals with his hand and then Ned is alone. He slips into the first room after kicking the guards bodies aside. Slipping into the room is easy. It’s not too dark, moonlight cutting into the room through holes in the cave ceiling lights a bit of the cave up so that he can see.

A groan catches his attention, and then he hears a familiar voice.

“Captain?” Harley. He spins to the left. Harley’s chained up against the wall, his tail spanned out ahead of him, limp against the rocks. He’s battered, cuts littered all over his body. From the fishing nets, Ned’s brain supplies. Next to him is a blond man, has to be human, and then to the man’s left, is Meeks.

“Harley, Meeks!” He darts over to him, grabbing him in a hug before he drops his hands down to Harley’s shoulder, where the harpoon went through. “Fuck, yer alright lad. I swear. Let’s get you and Meeks and let’s get out of here before Holmes decides to burn this place to the ground early yea?”

“I don’t suppose you mean the fellow next to me?” The blond asks in a hushed whisper. 

Ned didn’t expect the man to talk. Honestly he didn’t notice that the man was awake. He fiddles with the chains around Harley’s arm while nodding. “Aye well, his soulmate is rather pissed off since they took him.” The blond nods in response and flinches when Ned uses his cutlass to whack at the chains.

“One of the guards will have a key.” The blond offers up. 

Ned glances over at him with an eyebrow raised. “I’m sorry ye couldn’t ‘ave mentioned that earlier?” 

“Well you were doing your best to get it-”

“Christ okay just tell me which guard.” Ned interrupts. “We don’t have time.”

“There should be a man with a beard, blondish hair, looks like an absolute tosser.” The blond describes, rattling his own chains, head leaning forward to peer over at the doorway.

“Well that should be an absolute piece of cake.” Ned sighs, moving away from them. “Stay quiet!” He hisses as he darts over towards the doorway. Sure enough one of the dead guards matches the description (blondie is right he does look like a tosser now that Ned’s gotten a closer look). The guard does indeed have a set of keys on him, and Ned snatches them up quickly and jogs back into the room.

The keys fit the shackles around Harley’s wrist and Ned slings an arm around his side. “C’mon lad. We need to get moving.” Harley groans against him and tries to shift.

“Wait, let me. Tail.” He says through gritted teeth. Ned winces, but steps away anyway. He lays him against the wall, nodding and then moving over towards Meeks.

“Meeks, Meeks buddy we gotta go.” He shakes Meeks' shoulder gently, and then taps his face when he doesn’t respond.

“They gave him something, a sedative. He wouldn’t stay quiet.” Harley tells him while groaning, his voice hoarse. That would explain why Holmes didn’t feel anything through their bond once they left Nassau. “He kept on howling a distress call hoping you’d hear.” He doesn’t look at the younger mer, but he can hear the sickening sound of Harley’s tail splitting and bones cracking. It sounds horrible, doesn’t sound smooth or easy and the pants that Harley lets out aren’t soothing either.

“Harley. Tell me you’re okay.” He asks while undoing the shackles on Meeks' wrists.

“I’m fine Captain.” Ned lets out a sigh of relief, even if Harley doesn’t have confidence in his words, and then grunts when Meeks' weight falls onto him. 

“Aight this is the last time ye fuckers are getting kidnapped ye hear me, now we gotta go Holmes is going tae level this entire fucking island.” He grunts, tucking himself under Meeks and propping his unconscious friend at his side against him. “Fuckin help me with him.” He turns towards Harley, who’s swaying dangerously.

“I can’t carry the both of ye, Harley come here.” Harley takes a step closer, sways. Another, and teeters dangerously towards the wall. 

“Let me help, I can carry one of them.” The blond rattles his shackles and Ned pauses, looking between him and Harley. 

“Alright.” He relents. He lays Meeks back down on the floor, darting over to undo the mans shackles, before rushing over to Harley and slotting himself under him. “Grab him.” He nods his head over to Meeks and the blond complies. “Let’s go.” Carrying a semi-conscious mer is bad enough, but Ned can hear the commotion on the outside, pistol-fire, swords clashing against one another.

If you’re coming with us.” He grunts while walking beside the blond, who seems to be easily carrying Meeks. “I should probably ask for yer name so the others won’t shoot ye.”

“Thomas.” The man holds out his free hand and Ned quickly grasps it shaking it before darting back to hold onto Harley’s shoulder. “Thomas Hamilton, pleasure to meet you.” They’ve just about made it to the doorway when Holmes jogs up towards them, carrying clothes stripped from some guards, an innocent grin on his face. His eyes widen when he spots Meeks.

“Meeks!” He shouts and dashes over, grabbing his soulmate’s face in his hands.

“You must be the soulmate.” Thomas comments. “He’s been sedated, but he’s alive.”

Holmes kisses the top of Meeks head and sighs, before starting at a crashing noise behind him. “Alright we gotta go, I’ve rigged this place to blow.” 

“Why does everything have to blow up straight away with ye, couldn’t you ‘ave just timed it or somethin’?” Ned gives him a half-hearted glare and they start stumbling out towards where Ned can feel Billy is waiting for them

Billy is waiting for them, with Ben, Jacob and Muldoon, pistols drawn on the lookout. Ned calls out to them, his own pistol in his hand, shooting at a guard that runs towards them. He senses the moment Billy spots him. Reassurance floods Ned and he grins at his soulmate. Another four steps towards Billy, five, and then the ground starts shaking beneath their feet.

“Holmes I swear tae Christ where’d ye put the dynamite.” He yells at his first mate, who’s hovering over Meeks and Thomas protectively. 

“Down in the corridor, last room. Had a bunch of support beams in it, thought it’d be best.” Holmes meets his eyes innocently and Ned has to resist the urge to facepalm.

“Holmes if Meeks didn’t love ye so much I’d leave ye down there.” He rolls his eyes when Holmes just laughs at him. “Ye laugh now ye absolute arse, but ye wait till we’re back on the  _ Pink Rose.  _ It was supposed tae be timed for later, after we’re off the fucking island, not blow us all tae hell cause we’re still on it!” Blondie, Thomas, is chuckling next to Holmes, still keeping up with Meeks attached to him.

Billy’s seemed to have caught sound of his cursing towards Holmes, because Ned can feel mirth pushing through their bond and he relaxes, easily shooting the next guard that comes their way. Billy, Ben, Jacob and Muldoon drop into step next to them once they reach them. Muldoon takes Harley from him, and it gives Ned the opportunity to set sights on Charles and Jack on the shore ahead of them, both taking on a man who Ned has to guess is Woodes Roger.

“Take’em back to the ship!” He orders, eyes firm on Holmes when he protests. “Go, we’re not going tae lose anymore men. Make sure everyone retreats, this place is goin’ tae collapse.” He turns away from them and starts heading towards Charles and Jack. “Thanks tae Holmes’” His mutter is lost in the sounds of cannon-fire from the ships docked off the Southern Bay.. 

Woodes Rogers is going to die by his fucking hand for hurting his family.. Anger wells up in him when he sees the man cut Jack on the arm, somehow dancing out of Charles’ attacks and Jack’s parries. 

Woodes Rogers is putting up a decent fight, against Charles and Jack when Ned dives into the fray. Charles barely misses slashing at him with his sword when he launches himself at the bastard. Rogers stumbles under the weight of his attack, and Ned grins sharply when they crash into the water. 

He and Rogers roll around in the water, Ned wrestling him further out. Rogers elbows him in the nose by the time the water is up to their waists. It knocks him off his back, but Ned’s teeth glint in the glow of the rising sun. He lets out the loudest howl he can manage. Lets his pod know that Rogers is in the water, and then he twists, drops his cutlass and the joints in his shoulders crack while he launches himself at the man to sink his teeth roughly into his shoulder and Ned rips with his teeth.

Roger’s blood spills onto the water, a splash of red into the churning waves as the morning sun begins to rise in the horizon. The man yelps, Ned can taste his flesh and blood in his mouth and he swallows the piece of Roger’s shoulder that he’d ripped off. Rogers looks at him with fear in his eyes. An answering howl rings through the air. Holmes is terrifying in the water, tail flicking from side to side, a large shadow approaching into the shallow part of the shore.

“You messed with the wrong fucking pod.” Ned spits at him before he slashes at the man’s side with his claws. Without a weapon and in the water. Rogers is screwed. Ned laughs almost maniacally at how frightened he looks, and he feels no remorse. He digs his claws into the man’s side and pulls them further, wading out into the water to where Holmes is circling.. Holmes swims up to them and grins, all sharp teeth and his eyes are yellow,  _ feral and inhuman _ .

Rogers starts screaming when Holmes snaps his teeth at him and starts to circle him. More shadows start swimming towards them, or scuttling, in Kelton’s case. Ned drags his claws across Roger’s chest and let’s more of his blood spill into the water. The sharks of his pod are fidgety, Ned can feel it as blood fills and pours into their senses.

It’s feeding time. He takes another bite, straight out of Roger’s side and pushes his head under the water, towards the rest of his pod. Holmes dives in after him, rips into him roughly and drags the scent of Roger’s blood with him. 

Screams aren’t so loud when they’re underwater. Roger is thrashing against the members of his pod biting and scratching at him, taking chunks out of him while he slowly drowns. It’s painful and cruel and Ned has nothing but hatred for the man. Rogers is screaming into the water, the water rushing into his arms as bubbles float out from his mouth.

He clings on next to Holmes for a moment. He takes a fair few bites out of the man before he lets go and floats towards the surface of the water. He swims back towards shore and clambers up towards where Charles and Jack are still watching the choppy water of the feeding frenzy turn red.

Jack catches his eye first, and then nods towards him. 

“Where are the others?” Ned asks while dripping blood and salt water onto the sand while Charles gestures towards the rowboats on shore

“Back to the ships, like we promised.” Charles answers. “Billy’s back on the  _ Pink Rose _ , as are your crew, the ones that were rescued.” Ned sighs in relief. 

“The injured?” 

“Very few casualties, they weren’t prepared for a full scale invasion.” Jack smiles and Ned’s response is interrupted by another rumble in the ground.

“The dynamite.” His head snaps up towards the cave system entrance. “We need to get off this island now.” He, Jack and Charles start sprinting towards the rowboats, grabbing onto each other and whatever crew members are left on the beach and pulling them into the boats desperately.

“Move! Now!” Charles shouts out as the first explosion that breaks through to the surface rocks the ground underneath their feet and the boat. Charles helps him push the row boats out onto the water, following once the last has been pushed out into a suitable depth. The island crumbles behind them as they start rowing away. Ned pulls on the oars as hard as he can, dragging them out towards their ships.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is theeee end  
> I'm already planning a possible sequel  
> or one shots,  
> idk yet i started too many fics and idk how to finish them   
> you can't judge me because I wrote the ending long before I wrote half this fic

A rope ladder is lowered down the side of the  _ Pink Rose. _ Ned climbs up it first, panting as he pulls himself over the side of the ship, covered in blood and sand and soaked to the bone in sea water. A steady hand grips his shoulder, and he lifts his eyes up to meet Billy’s.

“Billy.” He gasps and buries his face into Billy’s chest, holding him tight. “Yer safe.” He breathes against the threadbare cotton of Billy’s shirt. Billy smells like gunpowder and sweat. Ned inhales sharply, squeezing his arms around Billy. Billy squeezes back and holds onto him just as tight. Billy sinks his face into Ned’s hair and breathes in.

“Sweetheart.” Billy breathes against Ned’s hair. He touches Ned’s side, shoulders, runs his hands down Ned’s arms searching for injuries. He touches and searches and crashes back against Ned when he doesn’t find anything. “I was worried you didn’t make it off the island in time.”

“We’re okay too you know Capt’n?” A playful voice calls out from behind Billy. Ned pulls away from Billy to look around him, a smile breaking out on his face when he spots the sight in front of him. Meeks is on two legs, an arm around Holmes who is propping him up. His second best friend hobbles towards him, his chest and his thigh wrapped in bandages with suspicious stains. Ned can smell the different poultices on his body. 

He throws himself forward, embracing Meeks. Meeks groans under him, but before Ned can pull away, Meeks is slinging his free arm around him and pulling him into a tight hug. 

“Yer okay!” Ned cheers into his ear. He pulls back from Meeks to search his face, meeting his eyes. “Yer okay.” Ned’s voice softens, the tension bleeds out of his shoulders. “And Harley?”

“I’m good.” Meeks waves his free hand. “Thanks to the doc, and Harley’s below deck, resting. Kelton and Quint are with him, and the blond who Holmes said carried me.” Meeks beams up at him and squeezes his side

“I”m so so sorry.” He breathes, hugging Meeks again tightly. 

“It wasn’t your fault.” Meeks presses a hand into his hair. “Those bastards were fucked up beyond relief Ned. They deserved whatever you gave to them.” Meeks pats the nape of his neck gently before Ned can feel a smile press against him.

“Now is that the soulmate I’ve been waiting so long for you to meet?” Meek’s voice is filled with mirth and is playful, as he catches sight of Billy standing behind him, watching Ned with soft eyes.

“Yes. That’s Billy.” Ned smiles softly at Billy, his eyes meeting Billy’s gentle blue ones. “Ye be nice to ‘im okay. I love him.” He nudges Meeks’ shoulder. “I’m going to go down and see Harley for a moment.

“That guy that was chained up with us. He’s down there too resting.” Meeks adds once Ned has pulled away and started making his way down below deck. “Be sure to thank him.” Ned scoffs with a smile.

“Just cause I gave Holmes permission to level an entire island for ye, don’t mean I’ve forgotten me manners ye muppet.” Ned scowls half-heartedly when Meeks laughs at him.

“Just doing my job Capt’n.” Meeks playfully salutes him with a chuckle and he throws up a rude gesture in response. Before he steps below deck, he turns his head.

“Hey Meeks.” He calls out towards his friend. Meeks turns his head slightly towards him. “Glad you’re back home.” Ned calls out, his bottom lip quivering just slightly. Relief floods his chest and he steps down the stairs.

Harley and Thomas are both laid up in hammocks when he catches sight of them. Thomas’ eyes are open, immediately locking onto him as he steps into view. Harley is focused on Quint and Kelton hovering  over him, treating the numerous cuts covering his body.

“How’re ye both feelin’?” Ned asks with a small smile. Despite being distracted, Harley’s cracking a soft, lazy smile up at Kelton, and Thomas looks fairly relaxed despite the way his eyes have trained onto Ned.

“Honestly Capt’, like my skull’s been cracked open.” Ned frowns and steps closer towards Harley.

“Cap, back up.” Quint says firmly without even looking up from where he’s stitching up a cut on Harley’s thigh. “He hit his head sometime in the cave, doesn’t remember how just remembers it happening. Just some minor swelling, no bleeding.” Quint rattles off to him and he relaxes some.

“What about you?” He inclines his head towards Thomas. 

“Oh years of torture, lashings and undernourishment do have an effect on some people humans especially.” Thomas says, a cross between cheerful and nonchalant. Ned frowns, and drops onto the spare stool that Kelton’s seemed to have abandoned for hovering over Harley. “Woodes Rogers kidnap you?”

“Oh no.” Thomas sits up slightly in his hammock. “My father sold me to him for having an affair with a lieutenant, my soulmate. Although I’m…” Thomas hesitates. 

“Ye can tell us when we’re back on Nassau. No need to strain yerself further, just relax for now.” Ned smiles, calmly pressing his hand onto Thomas’ leg. “Yer safe now Thomas. And once we’re back in Nassau we can help you get wherever you want to go.” 

“I’d like to find him again, if I could.” Ned smiles and nods, patting Thomas’ leg.

“We’ll help ye find him once we’re back in Nassau.” Ned offers and settles himself to lean against one of the wooden supports that Thomas’ hammock is connected too. 

“I’d appreciate it.” Thomas gives him a soft and gentle smile, blue eyes sparkling. 

Ned nods and turns his attention back to his own crew that has left a small berth between their hammocks and Harley and Thomas. “Wind’s picking up people, let’s get the sails ready and lift anchor.” He only needs to wait for half a minute before his pod-mates are scrambling out up the stairs onto deck. He chuckles to himself, and makes his way over to the stairs.

Behind him, he hears Harley make a small whimper as Quint starts sticking up another cut. Kelton’s soft voice fills the room, calming Harley and it slips a small smile onto Ned’s face. He makes his way up to the steps and watches his crew work. It’s weird to see everyone working over the brigantine, he wasn’t really watching them over on the way to Woodes Roger’s island, too worried about Harley and Meeks, but now. He finds that he likes the way his pod looks so at home on the ship.

Ned turns towards the  _ Ranger _ ,  _ Walrus _ , and the  _ Colonial Dawn _ and waves in a general direction back towards Nassau and points up towards the sails. Charles and Jack wave back from the  _ Ranger _ , Anne waves from the  _ Colonial Dawn _ and Flint gives him a thumbs up from the  _ Walrus _ . They’re all lifting anchor so that the wind can carry them back home.

Billy is sitting with Meeks and Holmes near the captain’s cabin, laughing with each other. Holmes is still clinging onto Meeks. With their legs, Holmes is actually a lot shorter than Meeks, and to Ned it looks a little comical that Meeks is leaning into Holmes side. Holmes presses soft kisses to the hand Meeks is holding. It’s cute, Holmes and Meeks together. Billy’s laugh floats over to him and his chest warms and face softens. Tension slips out of his frame and he lets his eyes wander over Billy’s frame.

Billy’s eyes are soft and looking at Holmes and Meeks in awe. He can’t hear what they’re talking about, only because he’s not trying to, but Billy looks so carefree and happy. He wants to go over there and kiss Billy senseless. Ned feels mirth flow through the bond. It pools in his chest and he heads over to where they’re sitting.

“Hey Capt’n.” Meeks lifts his head like he knows he’s coming and beams up at him. He smiles back with the same intensity and lets his arm brush against Billy’s shoulder, stopping at Billy’s side.

“What’re you three gossiping about?” He asks with a quirk of his lips. Holmes’ eyes light up and he raises an eyebrow up expectantly.

“Hmm.” Holmes hums. “We were just letting Billy know how great his soulmate is.” It’s Ned’s turn to raise an eyebrow and he turns his head to look down at Billy. Billy slides a hand around his waist and suddenly pulls Ned down into his lap, grinning at the small yelp that leaves Ned’s mouth. “Oh and filling Meeks in on how you were doing when he was gone.” Holmes adds.

Billy nuzzles into his temple and kisses him sweetly when he shies away with flushed cheeks. Ned hums against him and places a soft hand onto Billy’s cheek when he pulls away. “We’ll be back in Nassau in a day and a half.” He informs them before narrowing his eyes with a half smile at Holmes.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about I’ve been the epitome of health and fitness.” Billy chuckles behind his hand and Meek’s theatrically drops his jaw with a gasp.

“My Captain, not having a breakdown over me gone missing? Who are you and what have you done with Ned.” Meeks laughs and Ned shifts in Billy’s lap, throwing his leg over Billy’s thigh to straddle it and lean closer to Meeks.

“Ye know I missed ye something fierce Meeks.” He mock whispers in a hushed tone. Meeks grins back at him and pats the top of his head affectionately. Billy wraps arm around his stomach to steady him while he leans and pokes Meeks right in the centre of his forehead in response to the pat.

“We were all a little on edge Meeks.” Ned leans back until his back is pressed into Billy’s chest and he plays with Billy’s fingers absentmindedly. “We were worried.”

“And you had every right to be.” Meeks frowns. “There were other mers before you got there.” He begins softly. “Dunno where they were being kept, but they were always different, ‘nd they never lasted long. Were shipped off the island before we could talk to em.” Meeks pales slightly. “I don’t know if any were still there when you came.” 

“Hey.” Holmes hushes the sob that comes from Meeks softly, smoothing his hand through Meeks’ short hair and leaning in to nuzzle at Meeks’ cheek. “S’not your fault buttercup.” Holmes murmurs too him. “I didn’t find any when I went through the caves, we didn’t leave anyone behind.” 

“They were calling out Ned.” Meeks lifts his head to meet Ned’s eyes and Meeks’ eyes are filled with tears just threatening to spill. “Distress calls for hours. They didn’t have anyone coming for them, not like we did.” Holmes hugs Meeks closer to his chest, fitting his larger frame against his smaller one, murmuring against his temple. Meeks curls in on himself and Holmes wraps himself around his soulmate rubbing a hand up and down his back gently.

“You two should head below deck and get some rest.” Ned reaches out to drop a hand onto Holmes shoulder, his best friend looking up at him worriedly. “Share a hammock, stay close to each other. You’ve been apart for too long.” He squeezes Holmes’ shoulder reassuringly. Holmes nods and stands, pulling Meeks along with him. 

Meeks has gone from playful to almost exhausted, wrapping himself around Holmes and letting himself be helped over towards the stairs and down towards their hammocks. Ned watches them go, his hands absentmindedly gripping onto Billy’s where they’re splayed against his stomach. Billy rubs his thumb over the planes of his abs through his shirt, thumb warm against the fabric.

“Captain’s cabin?” Billy suggests in his ear and shifts slightly. Satisfaction and warmth wiggle their way through their bond and snake into Ned’s chest. Ned lets his body move on autopilot until he’s dragged to his feet, turning to look at Billy with soft, almost hazy blue eyes. Seeing Meeks and Holmes together makes him want to just hold onto Billy. He holds his hand out and Billy takes it gently, curling his larger fingers between Neds.

Ned leads him over to the Captain’s cabin, pushing inside and then Billy bolts the door behind them. He stares up at Billy, cranes his neck back so he can look Billy in the eyes with awe evident in his own. “I love you.” Leaves his lips in a breathless whisper. Love pushes at the edges of the bond and floods through it. “I love you.” He repeats and leans up on his tiptoes to throw his arms around Billy’s shoulders.

Billy leans down to let him, his own steady, iron like arms wrapping around his waist to hold him. They meet in the middle in a deep kiss. To Ned it’s like being in the depths of the ocean again, drowning but finally being able to breathe. He’s falling into Billy, truly feeling the love that unfolds between them like a flower just blooming. He sways on his tiptoes, and then Billy slides his hands from his waist down to the backs of his thighs and Billy lifts him. 

Billy walks them over towards the desk and lays Ned flat on it. The scent of gunpowder sticks strongly on Billy’s skin. Ned can smell it as he inhales sharply, staring up at Billy wide eyed and slightly dazed, his mouth parted. Billy stares down at him hungrily, but his expression is wide open and vulnerable and he leans in again to kiss Ned, consuming him.

Ned melts and whimpers into the kiss from the amount of passion Billy pours into it. Normally he’s the one that lead all their encounters, now he just wants to leave himself at Billy’s mercy. He surrenders himself, arching his back underneath Billy and letting his hands scramble across wherever of Billy’s body he can reach. Billy’s hands do the same, wander the planes of his chest and abdomen and down to his hips and thighs to explore.

He wants Billy. He needs Billy. He has the primal urge to surrender everything he has to Billy and let Billy take. He whimpers against Billy further and lets Billy rut against him, rolling his slim hips against him and having Ned rut back from where he’s positioned on the desk. 

Billy pulls away for air. TO gasp and to breath. Ned thinks he looks beautiful. Like a god, or some Greek statue, a marvel, something he’ll never get tired of. 

“Billy please.” He gasps hands stripping himself out of his jacket and shirt. He lays back, bare back against the cold of the wood. Goosebumps rise on his skin and his nipples pebble from the slight breeze that comes in from the gun port in the Captain’s cabin. “Please.” He pleads upwards to Billy who stares at him in awe.

“Ned.” Billy’s eyes are wide, wide than he’s ever seen, and then Billy ducks his head, curves his frame to mouth at one of Ned’s nipples and he arches beautifully beneath Billy’s mouth with a long keening whine. Billy pulls away, looking taken aback by the reaction.

“Please Billy I need you.” He pleads, his hands coming to grasp at Billy’s hips. He needs to feel Billy against him, inside him. Wants to run his fingers through Billy’s short shorn hair and tug on what he can. He wants Billy’s bright blue eyes to flutter above him and squeeze shut through a haze of pleasure. “Want you, need you so bad.” He pants, pulling Billy closer with his hands firmly on Billy’s waist, until Billy is pressed between his legs, his erection hot against Ned’s inner thigh.

Ned wraps his legs around Billy’s slim waist, digging his ankles into the flesh above Billy’s ass. “P-please.” His voice shakes. So far, Billy has been silent, staring down at him with fingers skimming over smooth and taut skin.

“Of course.” Billy breathes, leaning back down to kiss Ned deeply. “Always, I want you too.” He murmurs against Ned’s lips, breaking the kiss only to resume it the moment he’s done talking. Billy’s hands wander down to his waistband and strip Ned out of his trousers, pushing them down his thighs until Billy has to relent and move himself out of the way to get them off. He then strips out of his own clothes, leaving them in a pile on the floor so that they’re both naked and pressed together against the table.

“You’re so beautiful.” Ned shudders as Billy murmurs in a low voice. Ned can feel the rumble in Billy’s chest as he talks while rolling his hips. His skin is so sensitive to the touch, as Billy drags calloused fingertips over his skin, tweaks at his nipples, teases the patches of goosebumps across his arms and lower back. His mouth is parted with moans and whispers and gasps, responding eagerly to Ned’s touch.

“You’re strong.” Billy leans down to kiss the centre of Ned’s chest. “Brave.” He mouths just above Ned’s right nipple, chin brushing against it making Ned whimper. “Caring.” He kisses just under Ned’s left nipple, over right where his heart would be. “Beautiful.” He leans down, shuffles back to kiss above Ned’s naval. Billy pulls away and tugs Ned with him, off the table and over towards the bed in the Captain’s cabin. He lays Ned down, manhandles Ned into position and then crawls over him.

He brackets Ned’s body to the bed, stretching his frame over him and touches him with gentle drags of his fingers and his cock against Ned’s own hard one. Ned is lost in a hazy fog of arousal, want and need, entirely encompassed by the desire to feel the man he loves.

“Billy.” He pants, lost in the blue of Billy’s eyes. “Please.” The fele of Billy’s body, skin pressed against skin, is almost too much for him. He’s painfully hard and Billy’s cock is sliding against the length of his own. Billy kisses him and he’s lost again, inside the way Billy tastes and the way Billy’s tongue licks and traces the seam of his lips before pressing inside his mouth.

Billy reaches down and wraps a large hand around both their cocks and squeezes experimentally. Ned’s vision goes white with pleasure as his cock jerks and he comes across Billy’s hand and his own chest, shaking in Billy’s grip. He’s still conscious but he moves sluggishly, kissing Billy again hard, dragging Billy’s body flush against him.

“Fuck me.” He pleads, pressing his mouth to Billy’s throat. “I want it.” His eyes flutter against Billy’s cheek, still filled with desire. “I need it love.” He whispers into Billy’s ear. 

Billy obliges.

 

* * *

 

 

Billy wakes up nine hours later in the darkness of the Captain’s cabin, naked chest pressed against Ned’s naked back, his arm around Ned’s waist and his hand possessively splayed across Ned’s stomach. Ned’s hair is fanned out onto the pillow they’re sharing, a bit of it tickling Billy’s nose. Warmth fills Billy’s chest and he sighs contently, pressing his nose further into Ned’s hair to inhale his scent.

Through the window in his line of sight, he can see that night has fallen, stars twinkle, wink and blink back in the distance and the water ripples under the light of the moon creating a mystical effect. Billy hums contently and nuzzles into the nape of Ned’s neck as the moonlight highlights Ned’s cheeks and features.

This entire six weeks had been an adventure. He’d met Ned, his soulmate, found out that merfolks and sirens and so many other mythical creatures could quite possibly been real and they’d taken down what must’ve been England’s market for mythological creatures and whatever sick pleasures England had taken with them.

Billy breathes in Ned, the smell of sea water, stale sweat, gunpowder and the faint smell of sex fills his nose. He hums against Ned’s hair revelling in the feel of Ned’s body and how it slots perfectly against him. His other hand slides down Ned’s side, over the jut of his hip bones and down to his thigh, Ned has legs. He’d watched Ned’s pod turn their tails into legs, he’s seen the blood, watched skin knit back together to form two appendages from one. It amazes him that Ned went through all of that, not just to find him but save members of his crew—his pod.

Ned with legs is a sight to behold—not that the tail isn’t magnificent because it’s the most beautiful thing Billy has seen—but Ned’s legs are lean, his thighs are lightly dusted with light brown, almost blond hair. Ned is built like a scrapper, lean and almost wiry but he has muscle that you wouldn’t think was there under his clothes. Billy’s hands wander over the curve of Ned’s ass and then they touch the back of his thighs, exploring the muscle. Also even with a tail that makes Ned massive, bigger than even Billy, with legs, Ned is almost a good two feet shorter than him.

Ned shifts in the bed, moves against the arm around him before he relaxes when Billy’s fingers skim back up towards his stomach, tickling the v of his hips. Billy hums against him and Ned leans back against his chest and tilts his head up sluggishly to kiss Billy on the lips..

“Hmm, how’d you sleep?” Billy murmurs into his hair. Ned’s yawn interrupts anything that he tries to say back and he blushes before pressing his face back into the pillow, his hair tickling Billy’s throat.

“I want to sleep more.” Ned says, words muffled in the pillow. Billy chuckles softly and then Ned is shifting, turning over in Billy's arms to face him. Ned lifts his eyes and meets Billy’s and Billy can’t hold back the soft breath of amazement that leaves his lips.

The fins that he knows Ned has on his neck are twitching instinctively, not flared, but just splayed out as Ned practically purrs. His eyes are inhumanly blue in the moonlight, the whites of his eyes bleeding a dark grey, almost black. The moonlight illuminates them and Ned looks beautiful. When he smiles slowly at Billy, Billy can see the points of his teeth, poking out over his bottom lip.

Billy reaches up with a hand and touches one of them with his thumb, not flinching when Ned’s tooth pricks his skin and a bead of blood wells up. Lazily and almost sleepily, Ned leans in and licks the blood from Billy’s thumb, lips closing around the appendage before he leans back and his eyes flutter shut again.

Ned’s breathing evens out almost instantly. His teeth still poke out over his bottom lip and fins twitch slowly as Ned drifts off back to sleep. Billy smiles to himself content, satisfied, in love. He leans his head back down on the pillow and sidles closer to Ned, wraps an arm around his waist and tucks one of his own legs between Ned’s. He presses a soft kiss to Ned’s forehead before letting sleep take him again.

He has Ned. Ned has gotten back his friends. They’re content and happy and they’re on their way home.

 

* * *

  
  


Nassau is hot and humid and Thomas Hamilton was for once happy as the sun beat down on him as he set foot upon the sand. Ned Low, Captain of the  _ Pink Rose _ , merfolk and the man that had come for his friends and freed him as well stood next to him, holding hands with his soulmate. Thomas gazes across the miles of sand and tents and stalls in front of him, as well as the bushes and trees. It’s so much more than the dark and damp caves he was kept in.

Ned and his soulmate, Billy Bones—he introduced himself once he and Ned finally removed themselves from the captain’s quarters, although Thomas couldn’t blame them, they were newly in love, he could tell—are standing next to him standing tall. They’re waiting for the other captains to come from the ships. The other three ships that accompanied Ned to rescue it friends. 

Thomas finds that Ned and Billy obviously can’t keep their hands off of each other. Ned clings to Billy’s hand like it’s a lifeline, fingers curled so tight until they’re white knuckled. Billy keeps an arm splayed around Ned at all costs, and he smiles down at Ned like Ned’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen.

The first set of launches that arrive after the _Pink Rose_ ’s crew are from the _Colonial Dawn_. They’re led by a women with stunning red hair that falls down her back and a hat that hides half her face, who looks calloused and stern, but when she tips her head and meets the two captain’s that have come off the _Ranger_ , a small smile graces her face. She reminds Thomas of James. The three of them wander over and introduce themselves.

The wiry man, Jack Rackham, his soulmate, Captain of the _Ranger_ , Charles Vane—the notorious Charles Vane—and the woman is their close friend Anne-Bonny. Thomas has heard whispers of all of them from the men that guarded him, whispers about a silver tongued Jack Rackham, a ruthless Anne Bonny and a fearsome Charles Vane.

Captain Flint, they tell him, is the last Captain they’re waiting on, from the _Walrus_. The name Flint strikes a chord of familiarity inside him. He can’t entirely place where it sounds so familiar but it does indeed. Thomas waits, patiently and eagerly on the beach. 

The man and lad he was imprisoned with join them from the second set of launches from the Pink Rose. Meeks, the one that was chained next to him, sends him a smile as his soulmate has an arm slung around his waist and another holding his hand. They stare lovingly at each other and Thomas can’t help the smile that graces his face. Harley is younger, the small lad supported by the man who's introduced as Kelton, practically carrying Harley over the sand out of concern.

Finally a launch approaches the beach from the _Walrus_ , from the distance, he can only make out a broad shouldered man standing accompanied by few men who are sitting down. The man standing has a coat that billows in the wind while his crew rows. The boat reaches shallow water and Thomas can see that the man, once he’s stepped off the rowboat has ginger hair that’s tied loosely back. Something twitches inside of him, a feeling he can’t shake, and he follows as Ned and the other captains steps forward towards the approaching man

“Captain Flint.” Ned greets, his voice is amicable, but underneath it, Thomas can hear the gratitude as he holds out a free hand.

“Captain Low, I wasn’t part of the crew on land but I’m hop...” Captain Flint trails off into silence. It’s that voice that strikes something in him, so familiar, so sweet. Thomas has heard it in his dreams for the past ten years. It’s hauntingly beautiful. Thomas lifts his eyes from the sand and meets familiar shining sea green eyes, freckles that smatter across slightly tanned skin. He stumbles forward before he knows what he’s doing, hands hesitantly clutching at the lapels of Captain Flint’s coat.

Captain Flint—James fucking McGraw—stares back at him like he’s seen a ghost.

“Thomas?” James’ voice cracks and then the man is burying his face against Thomas’ shoulder with a sob. Thomas holds onto him tightly, like the world has fallen out from under his feet and all that’s there to hold him steady is James. “Thomas.” James sobs against him. Thomas cups his cheek and pulls James’ head away from his shoulders to meet his tear filled eyes.

“James, my truest love.” He whispers, searching James’ face. James stares back at him, face open with vulnerability. Thomas can feel a few of his own tears slip down his cheeks and then he leans in and kisses James, chaste and sweet, like he did all those years ago next to their dining table.

“Thomas.” James gasps when he pulls away. James’ expression shifts and then he pulls away from Thomas for a moment, spins around to search among his crew and then he’s gesturing for someone to come forward. A man steps forward calmly, steadied on a crutch.

“Thomas this is John Silver.” James begins shakily. The man slowly makes his way forward until he’s standing in front of Thomas looking a bit shaky. “My second soulmate.” For a moment, the expression on both James and John’s faces resemble terror, and then they change to confusion when Thomas smiles.

Thomas remembers. He remembers running his fingers over the second set of words across James’ skin, remembers kissing them and saying of course he deserves two people to love him. He reaches his hand out and steps closer to John Silver. John takes his hand, and then Thomas pulls him into a tight hug, just like he did with James. John flinches at the movement, but relaxes slightly when Thomas doesn’t let go straight away.

“Thank you for finding him.” He whispers into Johns ear. “He’s waited so long for you.” Thomas pulls away and the corner of his mouth quirks upwards at James’ and John’s confused expressions.

“What? Did you think I would be angry that you found your second soulmate?” He drops his arms to his side and steps forward when James looks away from him. “My love.” He murmurs. He cups the side of James’ face and lifts it. “You are worthy his love, as you are of mine. Don’t you ever forget that.” He kisses James’ cheek gently. “Know no shame James.” He whispers and presses his forehead to his soulmates. 

“I’ve missed you.” James rasps. “I knew you weren’t dead and I missed you, and I love you.” James hesitates, before he holds a hand out towards John Silver. “And I love you too.” He glances over to John. Thomas beams when John takes James’ hand and he pulls them both into a tight hug. John chuckles against him, and then so does James, although it turns back into a sob rather quickly. The both of them—him and John—move to cup James’ cheek and he meets John’s blue eyes with a smile.

They both lift his head and lean in to kiss James’s cheeks, one on each side. Thomas feels his heart well up with love, the bond between them finally filling with emotion again. They both wrap an arm around James, John seems to have no trouble at all balancing with his crutch in the sand. 

Thomas stares up at the sun, as the rest of the crews chat and mingle on the sand. He glances over to where Ned and Billy are laying down on the sand, Ned’s head propped onto Billy’s chest and smiles at them fondly. Young love. He thinks to himself and turns his attention back towards James and John. He thinks he knows what that feeling is like again.

 

* * *

  
  
  


That night, Billy is gathered around the fire along with Ned’s pod and Ned himself. They’re all sitting on the beach, the other Captain’s and crews having returned after fun and drinking and laughter hours ago. It’s early hours of the night, morning technically, but Ned’s crew are all wide eyed with attention as Ned begins to speak, the firelight illuminating half of his face.

“Now I know not all of you will be happy in Nassau.” Ned’s voice rings out over the pods idle chatter. “And I know we’ve been living in the Fancy for years and I understand that some of you will want to return to it, but as for myself. I’m hoping to find a life on Nassau.” 

Silence fills the air, before Holmes chuckles knowingly and breaks it. Ned continues to speak. “The position is open to anyone. We have a ship, you have a captain.” Ned gestures towards himself. “Anyone will to trust me, to stay with me on Nassau to man the Pink Rose, will always have a place with me. I know we belong to the sea, she’s our home, and she will always have us back. But I’m willing to spend the rest of my life…” He turns to look at Billy. “With the love of my life.” He kisses Billy softly on the cheek. "Being a pirate captain and calling Nassau home." 

“If any of you are upset with the decision and would rather return to the sea, I can arrange for another pod to take you in so you aren't alone. It’s okay.” Ned sniffles slightly, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. The fire crackles between them and Ned ducks his head to hide the tears that begin to stream down his face.

“You’re my family, but Billy is my family too. A-and I will love all of you whether you stay or you go. It’s your choice and I will not fight you on it.” Ned is admittedly blubbering slightly at the end of it, tears streaming heavily down his face and onto the knees of his trousers.

“You’re saying that like you expect us all to leave you.” Holmes pipes up from next to Meeks. “I go where you go Captain.” Holmes salutes him playfully and Meeks nods in agreement. One by one his pod-mates voice their agreements and support and Ned feels his chest well and more tears threaten to fall.

Billy grips his hand and pulls him up to stand. Billy is firm by his side as the fire crackles, holding him tightly.

He feels so much more alive when his pod cheers and Billy kisses him on the lips softly.

 

* * *

 

 

The next time the _Walrus_ sets sail in chase of a prize in the dead of the night, it’s accompanied by the _Pink Rose_ as it’s shadow. Legend tells that upon her deck is an inhuman crew, who’s eyes glint in the moonlight, their teeth as sharp as razor blades and they have claws instead of weapons, and they are accompanied a tall young man who stares out at the open seas, singing a song with a smile on his face.

**Author's Note:**

> Main members of Ned's pod:
> 
> Ned - Catshark, pod-elder (nicknamed Captain)  
> Holmes - Hammerhead shark, left hand (enforcer)  
> Meeks - Lemonpeel Angelfish, right hand (diplomat)  
> Quint - Humbolt Squid, doctor  
> Kelton - Mantis shrimp  
> Harley - Tiger shark  
> Colt - Cookie cutter shark  
> Kinsey - Lion fish  
> Nottley - Blue-ringed octopus


End file.
